Windows 10’s Wi-Fi Sense feature is not a security risk. Here’s why | ZDNet
Yesterday, tech sites went full Chicken Little over a Windows 10 feature that allows you to share your wireless connection without having to give away your Wi-Fi password. If only those alarmists had actually used the feature first…
Seems everyone on the net has been wigging the f'out about a new feature in Windows 10 called Wi-Fi Sense that allows sharing of your wifi connection with contacts with statements like "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 is bullshit
Yes, the option to allow sharing is enabled by default (but even then they don't get your password, it's sent encrypted, and they can't get on your LOCAL network). But the critical piece that everyone keeps leaving out is the part where it says "For networks I select…". It's NOT on by default and you have to consciously enable it in order for it to work.
When doing my Win10 upgrade, I noticed that if I had selected "Express Setup", every single option for sharing information about my contacts, calendar, wifi spots, etc. would be turned ON. Fortunately, I did not choose "express setup", but custom, so I had the chance to turn all that malarkey off. Even so, the upgrade silently turned Defender BACK ON even though I had expressly turned it off and disabled it under Win8.1 because I use a different antimalware software. By silently turning it on, Windows caused an antivirus conflict in the system. Defaults should ALWAYS respect the overt choices already made, and should ALWAYS choose privacy first when no overt choice was made. Microsoft failed both these principles.
Curious. I haven't done an upgrade yet so I can't confirm if my experience will be the same or not.
Out of curiosity… which antivirus were you using?
BitDefender
Win10-Defender caused a conflict which stopped BitDefender, so the automated scans stopped, and my monitoring equipment alarmed. Win10-Defender also had an alarm about "not being protected". I had to turn off Win10-Defender in the new Win10 settings place, and ALSO in the more traditional Control Panel. Then reboot to make it so, then reactivate BitDefender, reboot again, and make sure BitDefender was up to date with signatures and running scans again. Then my monitoring equipment finally calmed down.
Win10-Defender may be good or bad, but it doesn't matter because I was already protected by a chosen 3rd party tool. By not honoring this, it caused me a lot of work.
-David
Gillam Data Services, Inc. – Computer Training & Support
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I'll have to keep an eye out for that +David Gillam. I've been running the preview in bootcamp on an older MBP and Win10-defender was just on by default. Since I wasn't doing anything critical on it I just left it running that. However, my OTHER machines are using 3rd party. And I agree… it should honor that if one is installed.