Microsoft Re-Releases Windows Telemetry Updates KB2952664 and KB2976978

[CrAKeN]

 

This week's rollout also includes two surprising patches

 

Even though this month’s Patch Tuesday was delayed, Microsoft rolled out non-security Office updates this week, targeting both Office 2013 and Office 2016 with a total of 17 patches.

 

But what’s more interesting is that this week, the company also re-released two patches there were previously linked to telemetry data collection in Windows 7 and Windows 8.1

 

First and foremost, the Office patches. Microsoft shipped 5 different updates for Office 2013, with dedicated patches for OneDrive, Project, and Visio. Then, there’s Office 2016, which is getting not only general patches, but also updates that are specifically aimed at Access, OneDrive for Business, PowerPoint, Project, Publisher, and Visio, bringing the total count to 12 updates.

 

Telemetry patches

In addition to these Office updates, Microsoft is also re-releasing KB2952664 and KB2976978 for Windows 7 and 8.1, respectively for a reason that’s not yet known.

 

As Woody Leonhard of InfoWorld notes, these updates first showed up at a time when everyone was struggling to deal with the infamous Get Windows 10 (GWX) app, though Microsoft specifically mentions that they are not related to this application in any way.

 

Their official KB pages indeed indicate that both updates were re-released on March 7, while their descriptions point out that only users who are part of the Windows Consumer Experience Improvement Program should get them.

 

“This update performs diagnostics on the Windows systems that participate in the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program. The diagnostics evaluate the compatibility status of the Windows ecosystem, and help Microsoft to ensure application and device compatibility for all updates to Windows. There is no GWX or upgrade functionality contained in this update,” the description reads.

 

It's not yet clear what these new updates are supposed to do, but given the fact that they’re more or less linked with telemetry activity, some users are kind of reticent when it comes to installing them. We’ve asked Microsoft to provide more information about these patches and we’ll update the article when and if an answer is provided.

 

Source

[Batu69]

Topic moved from security & privacy news forum.

[banned]

I saw these yesterday on Win8.1 as optional updates. I think Microsoft is dialing down the amount of telemetry due to their increasing reputation as a spy agency.