Samsung Purposefully Disables Windows Update On Laptops To Push Its Bloatware

You might think that given the reaction consumers had after Lenovo was found to be installing malware on customer PCs, other vendors would think twice about doing the exact same thing. Not Samsung, it seems, as it's just been discovered that the software updater tool it bundles with its notebooks takes it upon itself to keep Windows Update disabled.

Windows Update is perhaps the most important tool that ships with Windows, as it's directly responsible for patching bugs directly related to the OS -- and there are a lot of them. If these bugs don't get patched, it means that the user is left vulnerable, and thus could become victim to those who choose to exploit the lingering holes.

The reason a customer service rep for Samsung gives is equally appalling: Windows Update could technically install a driver that doesn't work with the notebook. Somehow, that's justification enough to allow users of Samsung notebooks to be completely vulnerable to security risks.

Even if someone discovers that Windows Update is disabled and then re-enables it, Samsung's software updater will automatically disable it again on the next reboot. As with Superfish and Lenovo, Samsung's tool relates to bloatware, as it's not just used to update drivers, but also update preinstalled software.

Something tells me that it's not going to take long for this to be corrected. When will vendors ever learn?