Cortana accessing online resources
Cortana accessing online resources
THAT’S A REAL CONCERN. YOU COULD SIMPLY RECONFIGURE IT SO THAT PEOPLE INSTALL YOUR MALWARE THROUGH AUTOMATIC UPDATES.
But except for that, it wouldn't work. It's similar to claiming you could modify torrents and distribute seeds to users so they receive harmful torrents from your seed—it's not possible.
It might be possible, though extremely challenging. You'd have to alter the primary file Microsoft employs as a reference, rather than using the version on your device.
It’s clear that each file sent through Windows Update—whether from the Update Server or via peer-to-peer—is checked by a hash and confirmed before being handled.
The confirmation can be imitated through methods such as ARP spoofing or fake IP addresses, making it quite simple. If you check the file's SHA1 hash, Windows updates could easily become a botnet or malware.
To permanently turn it off, switch your language settings to English Canada. Note that Cortana is only available in the US.