SFCFix and privacy

Just · Jan 16, 2016

Hi,

Google drove me to sysnative forum as I was seeking for a fix to a Windows Update trouble. According to posting instructions, in order to get support here, one should run SFCFix.exe and upload the whole CBS folder, which will there remain publicly available to who might want browse into it and give a hand at solving the issue.

Which kind of data are grabbed by SFCFix ? Is the log more extensive than an sfc /scannow output ? Are some private information collected too, such as full name of installed / removed apps on the computer or web browsing history ?

This is a concern for me, as the forum seems to be ruled mostly on an anonymous basis (visitor does not know who admins are, admins do not know who visitor is) and the required for debugging logs have to be posted publicly. At least, it should be done after having understood which kind of data are going to be shared that way.

Thanks for any feedback and opinion on that.

tom982 · Jan 16, 2016

Hi Just,

SFCFix only collects Windows Update related data. You can verify any web requests it makes by using something like Fiddler - you'll only see one GET request which is to check the latest version:

https://www.sysnative.com/niemiro/apps/SFCFix_GetLatestVersion.php

Running SFCFix without a script file produces quite a simple log which will list a few basic details (run time, OS version etc.) as well as listing any present corruptions on your system. No private or personally identifiable information is collected - including, but not limited to, your full name, installed apps and web browsing history.

Helpers can use scripts to perform fixes on your computer, or collect additional information such as Windows Update related logs. The most commonly collected log is the CBS log (C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log), but we also look at a few other logs: CheckSUR, dism etc. These list various errors in Windows (such as the SFC results in the CBS log) and help us to fully diagnose your problem - as far as I'm aware, there is nothing personally identifiable in these logs and they simply list corruptions.

Hope this settles your mind a little, but if there's anything else you're unsure on then just fire away.

Tom

jcgriff2 · Jan 17, 2016

SFCFix (Windows Updates Posting Instructions), like the BSOD Posting Instructions, collects just the information required for the forum analyst to provide help.

Neither instruction app collects any personal or private data/information.

The attached files themselves are semi-private -- in that one must be a member here to download attached files. The general public can see the attached files (the file names only), but can't download them. So instead of billions of people having access, only 13,300 people (registered members) have access to them.

The BSOD Posting Instructions have required OPs to run the app and post the output zip files since 2008 - an estimated hundreds of thousands - and there have been -0- problems thus far. SFCFix is in the tens of thousands, but has been out for far less time (2012/13).

niemiro · Jan 18, 2016

Hello :)

If you want to drill down to the really deepest level, we sometimes find some of the following information in the Windows Update log files:

Your computer user account username as shown at C:\Users\{username}. It's very rare and never deliberately collected but I don't want to say it's never caught in a file path sometimes.

Computer name (similarly - not collected and we virtually never see it, but sometimes some of the log files stamp it).

What updates you have installed (all in inaccessible numeric data but in theory we could probably tell if you hadn't installed the WAT update (for whatever reason)). This includes what language packs/regions you have installed (again all in really hard to decipher numeric format).

Whether you are running a legal copy of Windows (often we can't tell, but sometimes we spot specific indicators of counterfeit).

What hardware you have (vaguely - we can make a few educated guesses based on the drivers you have installed).

I cannot in good faith and off the top of my head think of anything else. As programs go, there's really very little to be concerned about with SFCFix. You're completely free to browse the files prior to upload too :)

Richard

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SFCFix and privacy

Just

Well-known member

tom982

Emeritus

jcgriff2

Co-Founder / Admin
BSOD Instructor/Expert
Microsoft MVP (Ret.)

niemiro

Senior Administrator, Windows Update Expert

SFCFix and privacy

Just

Well-known member

tom982

Emeritus

jcgriff2

Co-Founder / AdminBSOD Instructor/ExpertMicrosoft MVP (Ret.)

niemiro

Senior Administrator, Windows Update Expert

Co-Founder / Admin
BSOD Instructor/Expert
Microsoft MVP (Ret.)