The slightly sinister-sounding update, designed for Office 2007, Office 2010, and Office 2013, “will run once silently” and collect data, which is then fed back to Microsoft KB5021751 update.
Microsoft wants to know how many people are still using out-of-date Office versions (including the soon-to-be-out-of-date Office 2013 version), and it will do so through the KB5021751 update. Microsoft released the KB5021751 update earlier this week. Microsoft Update can automatically download and instal the update. The software company also guarantees the file’s security to users.
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The update is being rolled out automatically, and Microsoft is using it to determine whether users have a version of Office installed that is either no longer supported (Office 2007 and 2010, for example), or a version for which support is about to end (Office 2013 support comes to an end in April).
“Microsoft scanned this file for viruses using the most recent virus-detection software available on the date the file was posted,” the company says. “The file is stored on secure servers, which help prevent unauthorised changes to it.
This update is intended to assist Microsoft in determining the number of users who are using out-of-support versions of Office, such as Office 2013, Office 2010, and Office 2007. This update will run once and will not instal anything on the user’s device.
Since October 2017 and October 2020, respectively, Office 2007 and Office 2010 have been out of support. Office 2013 will reach its end-of-support date on April 11, prompting the software company to count the number of users who have yet to adopt the latest Office version. And, while KB5021751 will provide the figures Microsoft requires, it lacks the authority to force its products on its customers. It will be interesting to see what the giant does next.
The company makes no mention of what it plans to do with the information it receives from this information.