The Windows 10 Torrent Network

Windows 10 opts you in to helping distribute future updates

[thomcraver]

Windows 10 apparently introduces a new "Windows Update Delivery Optimization" (WUDO) that allows peer-to-peer delivery for future Windows updates. This essentially makes every Windows 10 user a peer in that network, effectively hijacking your connection to serve others updates.

While this should speed up getting updates, it uploads without your knowledge as it's not opt-in - it's enabled by default.

ComputerWorld has a decent summary [computerworld.com], screen shot on how to turn it off and a link to the redditor who discovered it.

[engine]

This is quite a surprise and a shock at the same time, and i'm certainly going to turn that off for every Windows 10 that I may own. I really don't want this sharing as part of my bandwidth! :/

[Terabytes]

You can change the setting to only update with computers on YOUR network or across the Internet.. this would actually be a bonus for us IT people by utilizing less bandwidth to disperse the updates within the private network.

have multiple computers at home? On limited bandwidth? It would be a bonus...
However, the sharing across the Internet would be a bandwidth hog...

Just thought I'd throw that out there....

[thomcraver]

Yes, there's definitely an upside to it. The article mentioned the enterprise and educational versions. However public peer-to-peer on by default seems shady to me.

[engine]

terabytes, thanks, you're right...

However public peer-to-peer on by default seems shady to me.

Shady is a kind way of putting it.
I really cannot believe this has not been heard of previously, or perhaps is has. Using other people's bandwidth, without their knowledge, is not good, and enough non-microsoft programs already do that.

[tangor]

I knew the4re had to be more going on than just "calling home to MS".... just couldn't put my finger on it.

[incrediBILL]

The problem I see is that peer-to-peer doesn't offer the same level of security.

What's the prospect of one peer delivering malware that passes all security checks?

If there's any possible vulnerabilities, Win 10 could put the entire installed base into the biggest botnet ever known overnight.

I see this as a big disaster just waiting to happen

[IanCP]

I can understand "PC's on my local network"

I cannot understand the 'ethical logic' of "PC's on my local network, and PC's on the internet"

I changed the default to "PC's on my local network"

[bill]

I don't really have bandwidth caps on my ISP, so the I idea of being part of a distribution network isn't as problematic for me on that side. However, the security implications are worrying. I'll probably limit the sharing to my own network and not turn it off completely.

[mcneely]

One of these days everyone will be using Windows in the cloud, so this whole spreading Malware deal won't be a problem. All one has to do is pay Microsoft a monthly fee for use with a downloadable interface .. Microsoft would administer the OS in the cloud and distributed Malware would be a thing of the past.

[tangor]

... and that monthly fee?....

Much as I liked the win 10 preview on a throwaway machine, the more I see the less I like.

[mcneely]

... and that monthly fee?....

Merely just speculation at this point ... But with how everyone is so wild about the cloud these days, and with all of this apps business going on (where you don't actually download the *gaming software for instance) I could see Microsoft running it's OS from a central location, and requiring a pay-per-use to have access to sessions, or blocks of sessions.

Adobe did this with their software a while back - Many gaming entities are doing it too. You don't really purchase the software outright, you just pay to use it.

[toidi]

One of these days everyone will be using Windows in the cloud, 

my business revolves around a cloud based program. It is a nightmare at times. If the internet is down, work stops. When they oversell their capacity, work creeps. When i have to do a lot of work, i have to do it early am because it creeps in the afternoon when everyone across the country is logged in.

the cloud has its place but it has its limits

[tangor]

Has anyone heard me in recent posts here there and everywhere regarding this? MS is going for the ORIGINAL, a central COMPUTER (data center, these days "cloud") with Win 10 the first of the terminals they will make in all their updates from here on out, and eventually you pay the rate for the rate of connecting. A monthly bill.

Stay on Win 7 until 2020.

Look at what Window as a SERVICE actually means in the long run. We already know they are doing a TOR type peer-ro-peer share on YOUR bandwidth.... FOR THEIR STUFF.

[netmeg]

There's all kinds of privacy stuff going on with Windows 10. This was a good start:

[slate.com...]

[graeme_p]

@incrediBILL, there are multiple ways of checking peer to peer donwload. I just downloaded a whole OS installer (Debian) using bittorrent. It gets integrity checks in the torrent client (using hashes - not sure of the details) and you can still check against a separately downloaded hash yourselff. Then you can use signing (does MS not have some signing mechanism in place anyway) as Linux distros do so you can safely use repo mirrors.

Of course, if MS are not doing anything to guarantee integrity it will be a disaster and they are idiots, but I do not believe they are that stupid or careless.

[J_RaD]

LAN only... thats fine, faster, saves bandwidth.