Starting today, Microsoft is offering most Windows 7 and Windows 8 users a free upgrade to the software giant\u2019s latest operating system \u2014 Windows 10. But there\u2019s a very important security caveat that users should know about before transitioning to the new OS: Unless you opt out, Windows 10 will by default prompt to you share access to WiFi networks to which you connect with any contacts you may have listed in Outlook and Skype \u2014 and, with an opt-in, your Facebook friends.<\/p>\n
msoptoutThis brilliant new feature, which Microsoft has dubbed Wi-Fi Sense, doesn\u2019t share your WiFi network password per se \u2014 it shares an encrypted version of that password. But it does allow anyone in your Skype or Outlook or Hotmail contacts lists to waltz onto your Wi-Fi network \u2014 should they ever wander within range of it or visit your home (or hop onto it secretly from hundreds of yards away with a good \u2018ole cantenna!).<\/p>\n
I first read about this over at The Register, which noted that Microsoft\u2019s Wi-Fi Sense FAQ seeks to reassure would-be Windows 10 users that the Wi-Fi password will be sent encrypted and stored encrypted \u2014 on a Microsoft server. According to PCGamer, if you use Windows 10\u2019s \u201cExpress\u201d settings during installation, Wi-Fi Sense is enabled by default.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor networks you choose to share access to, the password is sent over an encrypted connection and stored in an encrypted file on a Microsoft server, and then sent over a secure connection to your contacts\u2019 phone if they use Wi-Fi Sense and they\u2019re in range of the Wi-Fi network you shared,\u201d the FAQ reads.<\/p>\n
The company says your contacts will only be able to share your network access, and that Wi-Fi Sense will block those users from accessing any other shared resources on your network, including computers, file shares or other devices. But these words of assurance probably ring hollow for anyone who\u2019s been paying attention to security trends over the past few years: Given the myriad ways in which social networks and associated applications share and intertwine personal connections and contacts, it\u2019s doubtful that most people are aware of who exactly all of their social network followers really are from one day to the next.<\/p>\n