Microsoft integrates Back Orifice into Whistler...kinda sorta

[loup garou]

I was reading the preview of Whistler on CNET, when I noticed this tidbit:


<< Problem Solver
In addition to a beefed-up help section, Whistler offers another truly slick tool to help you solve system problems or simply learn more about your OS. A new option called Interactive Support lives at the top of all help and support services screens. Follow this link to open Remote Assistance, a peer-to-peer tool that lets you email other Whistler users and lets them, in turn, take over your system and show you exactly what they'd do. This is great if you can't find a feature or have a hard time explaining the problem you're having. The tool is designed to work with Microsoft or hardware vendor tech support but can also help experienced friends or family members solve newbies' PC problems.

Here's how Remote Assistance works: You email an attachment that, when clicked by another Whistler user, lets the recipient log on to your system in a prescheduled help session. The recipient can control the mouse cursor on the remote system, and the two of you can chat over an instant messenger. To avoid any potential security threat, Whistler offers a password-protection feature to log you into your help session, and you can turn away your helper or close the session if you feel uncomfortable. Because we reviewed this beta before it went public, we were unable to test this feature, but we'll update you as the beta cycle continues. >>



I don't know what to think about this...kinda scary if it can be exploited, but this is just a glossing over of the feature. Hopefully the security measures are good.

Is anyone running the Beta? Is this feature activated? I'm really curious about it.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

This is nothing new. There's software on the market that you can get and use at home for this very thing. There are also internet sites that do something similar to this.

I used to work at Intel, and that's how the TAC people helped stooopid office employees who were asking questions like &quot;What 'Start' button?&quot;

 

[DesignDawg]

You can do this already with NETMEETING. Fun stuff. Unfortunately, though, you can also do something kinda like it with Windows 2000. Microsoft has committed the hugest security mistake in history with that OS. I'll post about it later.

Ricky
DesignDawg

 

[loup garou]

I know there's plenty of third party software out there to do this, but integrating it into the OS is a little scary.

Ricky, you say you can do something like this with W2k? I want to know about this, since that's what I run, and I've never heard about it before...I don't futz around with the OS's &quot;features&quot; too much...

 

[Recneps]

Well the feds will love this little addidtion. They will be able to spy on any user with the new feature now all they need is to have an ID in every prossecer.