Full Writeup of the Windows GDID

(github.com)

23 points | by typeofhuman 1 hour ago

5 comments

  • hyperrail 2 minutes ago
    How a Windows device's global ID is generated may be new info in the public sphere, but the fact that the global ID exists is not a secret. This format of ID has been in Windows since the initial release of Windows 10 in 2015, when it was introduced as part of Windows' current telemetry subsystem. You can see your PC's global ID very easily by opening Windows Feedback Hub and checking the Settings page under Device Information.
  • stackghost 11 minutes ago
    For those like me who were not abreast of this issue: the FBI was able to arrest some kid who hacked/is alleged to have hacked a jewellery retailer through a VPN. They were able to track the hacker via the user's GDID, which is a stable identifier unaffected by VPN usage.

    This surveillance is certainly going to expand in scope as age verification comes into widespread usage. Personally I see little legitimate use case for this telemetry. It seems only useful for the purposes of tracking users for law enforcement or targeted advertising purposes.

  • ggerules 1 hour ago
    Wasn't this the GUID (Globally Unique Identifier) of early 00s Windows? When did it change to GDID? Are they the same?
    • wrs 59 minutes ago
      No relation. GUID is just a format for a 128-bit unique number, used throughout the software industry. This is a specific 64-bit number assigned to your Windows device.
    • miffy900 54 minutes ago
      Maybe try reading the writeup? GDID's are 64 bit for one thing, not 128 like GUIDs.
  • rrix2 1 hour ago
    one thing this doesn't touch on that I am curious about is how was browsing history, etc, correlated to the GDID?
    • murderfs 38 minutes ago
      Edge history syncing, presumably.
  • xyst 46 minutes ago
    this is why Microsoft is pushing so hard for Microsoft accounts at install