Samsung silently disabling Windows Update on some computers

[JMH]

Updated @ 23:20 BST, 17:20 EST: We finally heard back from Samsung, though it isn't very informative: "We are aware of Mr. Barker’s claim regarding Windows 8.1 updates on our computers. We take security concerns very seriously and we are working with Microsoft to address this matter."

Original story

Microsoft MVP Patrick Barker, who spends a large portion of his life analysing, debugging, and helping other people troubleshoot Windows, has discovered that Samsung is actively disabling Windows Update on some of its PCs.

Barker stumbled across the issue while trying to assist a user who found that Windows Update "kept getting disabled randomly." By using Auditpol and registry security auditing, Barker discovered that a program called Disable_Windowsupdate.exe was being run every time the PC booted up—and that EXE file, unfortunately, belonged to Samsung's SW Update suite.

Samsung silently disabling Windows Update on some computers | Ars Technica

 

[JMH]

Samsung to stop blocking Windows Updates "within a few days"

After being caught out silently disabling Windows Update on selected systems, Samsung has committed to ending the practice "within a few days.

Earlier this week Microsoft MVP Patrick Barker identified a small program called Disable_Windowsupdate.exe being pushed as part of Samsung's SW Update tool, which prevented Windows Update from automatically running in the background on PCs, forcing users to either live without updates or manually download them from Microsoft.

The company, it seems, has seen the error of its ways.

"Samsung has a commitment to security and we continue to value our partnership with Microsoft," a Samsung spokesperson told tech site Venture Beat. "We will be issuing a patch through the Samsung Software Update notification process to revert back to the recommended automatic Windows Update settings within a few days. Samsung remains committed to providing a trustworthy user experience and we encourage customers with product questions or concerns to contact us directly at 1-800-SAMSUNG."

Samsung to stop blocking Windows Updates "within a few days" | ZDNet