Microsoft killing Autopatcher Project

I have written several times about the Autopatcher project which was basically providing users with the opportunity to download one executable file that contained all official patches for their Microsoft operating system. This method had a lot of advantages over downloading patches from Microsoft servers: You would save bandwidth if you had to apply the patches to more than one operating system and did not have to rely on the automatic updates website to select the patches.

It is also important to note that it is theoretically possible to attack an unpatched system when it visits the Microsoft website to download the patches which would not be the case if an autopatcher file would have been available. (for more than 1 computer, that is) Several users did not like the fact that they had to connect to a Microsoft server to download the patches because of privacy issues.

Microsoft requested an immediate takedown of the Autopatcher download pages with the reasoning that they want to make their downloads available only from their servers and from nowhere else. It is however kinda strange that it took them four years to request the takedown and many users fear that this has something to do with WGA enforcements.

The Neowin admin who was contacted asked the same question and received the following answer:

I asked the representative if Windows Genuine Advantage had anything to do with it and he categorically told me this was not the case, he added that Windows Update for pre-Vista versions of Windows can now be accessed using Firefox and that the concern at Microsoft had more to do with the possible malicious code that could be redistributed with certified Microsoft updates.

This is a sad day indeed.

Read More:

Official Autopatcher Announcement
Neowin Forum Thread
Autopatcher Torrent Downloads