Windows installs updates without permission, researchers say

From InfoWorld: Windows is installing "surprise updates" against the wishes of some users, who have expressly set up the operating system not to deploy patches without permission, researchers charge.

Numerous readers of the popular Windows Secrets newsletter have reported that they have watched their PCs install updates from the June 9 set of security patches as they've rebooted or when they've turned on their machines, said Brian Livingston, the newsletter's editorial director. Those users have set options in Windows Update (WU), the operating system's default update service, to require their okay before installing patches, or before downloading and installing updates.

"If you have an incomplete update download, Windows won't display the fact that you have updates," said Livingston, referring to the icon in the taskbar that should appear when updates are pending approval. "Then at shutdown or reboot, those updates start installing, even though the user has set Windows Update not to do so."

Only users who have set WU to the "Automatic" setting should have patches downloaded and installed without any additional action on their part.

Windows Secrets staffers, including Livingston, have observed the surprise updates, although they have not been able to reproduce the bug, Livingston acknowledged. The bug affected users of both Windows XP and Vista.

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