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South Korean firm Samsung has denied accusations that its users were at risk of being hacked when Windows Update was disabled on laptops sold by the tech giant.
According to Patrick Barker, security researcher and engineer, Samsung was turning off the mechanism that enabled updates to prevent any modifications to hardware drivers.
Barker made contact with a customer support adviser from Samsung, asking why the company was disabling the update. Chatting with the adviser online, he was told:
“When you enable Windows updates, it will install the Default Drivers for all the hardware on the laptop which may or may not work. For example, if there is USB 3.0 on laptop, the ports may not work with the installation of updates. So to prevent this, SW Update tool will prevent the Windows updates.”
In its statement, however, Samsung denied that it was blocking updates to Windows 8.1. It emphasised its commitment to customer satisfaction and insisted that it was giving its users a choice whether to update Windows or not. However, it has been said that the statement was written in such a way that it was not made clear whether or not it applies to laptops with Windows versions below 8.1.
With many individuals, as well as companies, holding masses of sensitive data on such devices around the world, there is a need to understand just how programs can affect files. Therefore, many businesses are reportedly taking more pro-active approaches, such as advertising cyber security jobs to ensure that they are prepared should an issue occur.
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