Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by ClassyJacket 3140 days ago
I believe it's even more sinister than that. I recall reading about a feature of Windows 10 where it will automatically install OEM bloatware from separate storage on the board, even if you install from a generic Window disk/USB. I'm trying to find a source.

Edit: I cannot find a source, so take this with a grain of salt, however I do clearly remember reading it.
1 comments
g_p 3140 days ago
I believe the one you're referring to is the "Windows Platform Binary Table (WPBT)" feature, which has a slot in UEFI where an exe can be put, which is run by Windows during an install.

Couple of refs for anyone interested:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10039870

https://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?p=29544745#p2954...

link
tinus_hn 3140 days ago
It actually runs on every boot, even worse. This is how overbroad nanny software like Computrace works, you can remove it but Windows will just reinstall it at boot.

Kind of a glaring security issue.

link