Microsoft has released a special update for Windows users (KB5021751) that collects diagnostics and telemetry data on the system if the PC owner is still using an outdated version of Office (Office 2013, Office 2010 and Office 2007).
At the same time, the company assures that they respect the privacy of users.Let me remind you that we also reviewed First Patches of 2023: Microsoft Fixes 98 Vulnerabilities, Including 0-Day under Attacks, and also wrote that Microsoft Stopped Selling Windows 10 on the Official Website. The same media wrote that Experts blame Microsoft for not fighting malware.
KB502175 is distributed through Windows Update and will only be installed on devices where the user has enabled the Receive updates for other Microsoft products feature. That is, it is not mandatory.
The company’s announcement emphasizes that the update will only be installed on systems running one of the following versions of Microsoft Office: Office 2013, Office 2010, or Office 2007. No additional files will be installed, and the update will only be run once to verify whether Office has reached the end of its support period and how soon it will need an update.
Note that support for Office 2007 and Office 2010 ended a few years ago (in October 2017 and October 2020, respectively), and Office 2013 extended support expires two months later, on April 11, 2023. The company reminds that older Offices do not receive security updates, and users of “unsupported versions may experience performance and reliability issues.”
However, it’s still unclear what Microsoft intends to do with the data collected by KB502175.
