WPS Office installs and changes default PDF and MS Word viewer to itself without admin privileges on my domain Windows user computers. HOW?

Question

WPS Office installs and changes default PDF and MS Word viewer to itself without admin privileges on my domain Windows user computers. HOW? WHY?

Answer 1

Thanks for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum. it might be using user-level settings or configurations. Here are a few possibilities:

1. User-Level Installation:
   • Some software installations are designed to affect only the current user without requiring administrative privileges.
2. Group Policy Preferences:
   • If your organization uses Group Policy, it's possible that there are GPP settings applying these changes to user configurations. Please don't forget to close up the thread here by upvoting and accept it as an answer if it is helpful

Answer 2

Hi Yusuf Kures,

The default programs on domain computers can still be modified if they are not configured by group policies.

To set default programs, you can configure the policy "Set a default association configuration file" under Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\File Explorer

Best Regards,

Ian Xue

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Answer 3

They've found a vulnerability and are exploiting it. It is documented here.
https://kolbi.cz/blog/2017/10/25/setuserfta-userchoice-hash-defeated-set-file-type-associations-per-user/