What the heck?! Microsoft has launched the Bing Wallpaper app in the Windows Store, providing users with an official method to refresh their desktop wallpaper daily. This app features a selection of stunning images sourced from the Bing homepage, but it seems to come with a host of questionable hidden advantages upon installation on a Windows PC.
Some third-party software providers act like bona fide malware distributors, bundling their offerings with dubious features and concealed payloads. However, when Microsoft engages in similar tactics, Windows users tend to respond quickly and vehemently.
According to Rafael Rivera, a Windows developer and self-proclaimed “reverse engineer by night,” Bing Wallpaper poses a significant risk to users’ security and privacy. Rivera claims the app automatically installs Bing Visual Search and contains code that can decrypt cookies stored in other browsers, while also introducing a “free” geolocation web API to the system.
The developer unearthed “numerous” malicious tactics Microsoft incorporated into Bing Wallpaper, such as attempts to alter browser settings and set Edge as the default browser. If Edge isn’t the default, the app prompts the default browser periodically to encourage enabling the previously installed Microsoft Bing Search for Chrome extension.
Rivera compiled a list of the forcibly installed extensions users should disable in Chrome or Firefox. He characterized Bing Wallpaper as a malicious application, pointing to the app’s server configuration for those interested in digging deeper into this issue. There’s even a registry key that purportedly allows the app to “self-destruct,” which would be a welcome feature at this juncture.
Users online have greeted the Bing Wallpaper “malware” with enthusiasm, sharing amusing comments on Microsoft’s latest endeavor to irritate the Windows user base. Many users remarked that this feels precisely like something Microsoft would do, with some even suggesting the prospect of a class action lawsuit against the tech giant. One commenter noted that if the wallpaper is free, it’s likely that you are the product.
At this point, Bing Wallpaper can be regarded as unwelcome, hostile adware at its worst. There are various dynamic wallpaper and desktop customization options available through other adware-free applications and reliable Win32 software like Dynamic Wallpaper, Wallpaper Engine, and others. Windows 11 even comes with a built-in feature to change the desktop background daily, so there is truly no reason to resort to “official” Bing apps for this task.
