http://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/07/windows-10-shares-your-wi-fi-with-contacts/
By Brian Krebs
Krebs on Security
July 29, 2015
Starting today, Microsoft is offering most Windows 7 and Windows 8 users a
free upgrade to the software giant’s latest operating system — Windows 10.
But there’s a very important security caveat that users should know about
before transitioning to the new OS: Unless you opt out, Windows 10 will by
default share your Wi-Fi network password with any contacts you may have
listed in Outlook and Skype — and, with an opt-in, your Facebook friends.
This brilliant new feature, which Microsoft has dubbed Wi-Fi Sense,
doesn’t share your WiFi network password per se — it shares an encrypted
version of that password. But it does allow anyone in your Skype or
Outlook or Hotmail contacts lists to waltz onto your Wi-Fi network —
should they ever wander within range of it or visit your home (or hop onto
it secretly from hundreds of yards away with a good ‘ole cantenna!).
I first read about this disaster waiting to happen over at The Register,
which noted that Microsoft’s Wi-Fi Sense FAQ seeks to reassure would-be
Windows 10 users that the Wi-Fi password will be sent encrypted and stored
encrypted — on a Microsoft server. According to PCGamer, if you use
Windows 10’s “Express” settings during installation, Wi-Fi Sense is
enabled by default.
[...]
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