[disgu]

> Presumably it would be a way to steal company information such as designs, accounts, and so on.

Does it collect user metrics like a lot of software does or does it actually steal designs? The report is absolutely not clear about this. I have not read many reports like this but are they all like the one they link to? Is that what a malware analysis looks like?

I'm completely behind the idea of calling every single software that collects user data and sends it off to a server malware but this is just not the case. We don't say Windows comes with malware, we in the West call it telemetry data to improve the user experience.

[PragmaticPulp]

> Does it collect user metrics like a lot of software does or does it actually steal designs?

The reports mark it as a Trojan/backdoor. This means it gives the company remote access to the machine. They can do whatever they want with it.

This isn’t anything like analytics reporting.

[megous]

Anything with remote updates falls into that category.

[me_me_me]

malware is any software that hides its existence from user.

The windows telemetry is on edge of being malwere, even if its of no consequence to you. You cant say it will always stay that way.

[tremon]

I'm going to broaden your definition to "malware is any software that hides its existence or its behaviour from the user". There's little value in knowing that a certain piece of software exists on your machine if you don't know what it's for.

[rightbyte]

Why is it not malware? The Wikipedia definition of malware lists "steals data".

Last time I tried the amount of deep registry hacks to turn everything(?) of was silly.

Windows obviously ships with malware nowadays. I think you need enterprise edition for a supported way to turn all the BS off.