Microsoft admits Windows 11 has a GDID tracker with no off switch, first documented publicly in an FBI hacker complaint (www.windowslatest.com)
from leogeee777@lemmy.ca to privacy@lemmy.ml on 15 Jul 05:01
https://lemmy.ca/post/67852860

cross-posted from: tardigram.com/m/windows11@lemmy.world/t/39011

GDID is the persistent Windows ID that helped FBI trace a Scattered Spider hacker despite VPNs. Here’s how it works and how to limit it.

#privacy

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florencia@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 15 Jul 06:18 next collapse

Damn, perhaps competent prosecutors & FBI agents wouldn’t have allowed this information to leak.

Losing an incredible privacy leak to own a 19 year old who posted his crimes on snapchat.

Gork@sopuli.xyz on 15 Jul 06:23 next collapse

I wonder how many other GDID type identifiers are out there, besides this Microsoft one.

defaultusername@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 15 Jul 07:13 next collapse

I’d bet every proprietary OS and firmware (or open source base OS with deeply integrated proprietary software, such as anything Google makes) has something similar.

For things like phones, an IMEI is already a permenantly attached unique ID tied to the modem. There is also a hardcoded serial number in most electronic devices.

sompreno@lemmy.zip on 15 Jul 12:03 collapse

With hardware fingerprinting it doesn’t really matter that much

ms_lane@lemmy.world on 15 Jul 17:15 collapse

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentium_III#Processor_Seria…

27 years ago…

Ghoelian@piefed.social on 15 Jul 17:48 collapse

Most CPUs don’t allow you to read the serial number anymore (from userspace at least, I’m sure there are ways of extracting it).

Except Raspberry Pi for some reason, and for some other reason my coworker decided to use that as a device identifier for one of our services (devices we build and control, we’re not just tracking random people). So now I guess we’re stuck with raspberry pis for the near future. On any other device it just returns “ERR00000“.

mufkin@lemmy.zip on 16 Jul 09:01 collapse

Repost

IEatDaFeesh@lemmy.world on 16 Jul 09:20 collapse

Ok and?

EveryMuffinIsNowEncrypted@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 18 Jul 08:43 collapse

Exactly. Not everyone sees everything the first time it’s posted.