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Microsoft Windows Files Modified Without Notification

By Robert | September 15, 2007

Microsoft is at it again. It seems they started updating various files in Windows Vista and Windows XP even when the user chose to disable automatic updates for their operating systems. Scott Dunn, an editor at the “Windows Secrets” newsletter, was among the first to point out the changes. He claimed that 9 files in Windows XP and Vista were changed by Windows Update without even asking for permission. It seems like different files were modified in the two operating systems and they are all linked to the actual Windows Update tool

The modifications were pinpointed to the date of August 24 and were also confirmed by ZDNET’s Hardware 2.0 blog, which noticed the same changes in their OS. On the other hand, on Dunn’s personal machine the logs showed that this update took place this week so everything seems strange.

The files modified in Windows Vista are: wuapi.dll, wuauclt.exe, wuapp.exe, wucltux.dll, wuaueng.dll, wudriver.dll, wups.dll, wuwebv.dll and wups2.dll. In XP (with service pack 2 installed) the files are: cdm.dll, wuapi.dll, wuauclt.exe, wuaueng.dll, wucltui.dll, wuaucpl.cpl, wups.dll, wups2.dll, and wuweb.dll.

This discovery could lead to a lot of problems. Many individuals (including myself) and companies are very touchy when it comes to modifications done to their computer. It is safe to believe that if Microsoft can modify files without letting you know then it can do so again and again. The company declared that these updates were really updates for Windows Update and not for Windows XP or Vista. Microsoft did admit to the fact that it should have let people know and they are currently “looking at the best way to clarify” the behavior of Windows Update. This statement is going to make people relax but there is one question that can be asked: Can Windows Update modify files in the Windows operating system without letting people know they are doing so? The answer surely is “Yes” but any type of change like this would bring a lot of bad responses from customers around the world and Linux is always a solution.

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