Cannot turn off 'automatically connect' option on WIFI connections

Windows 8 Auto-connection to open wireless networks.  Serious security flaw.

As an IT support consultant i can confirm i have experienced this on numerous machine, with numerous "unknown networks" - which is a major concern - especially as I travel, and operate in numerous locations....  I constantly discover my machine has connected to a new "unknown wireless" network.

I cannot believe there is nothing official from Microsoft on this.

This is from what i can observe quite a serious security flaw in the Windows 8 system.  And i wish that "well meaning" support people would endeavor to understand this issue.

1. we are not connecting to a known or existing wireless connection.
2. Disabling autoconnection to a known wireless network does not resolve this issue.  New open networks are still connected to.
3. Even manually disconnecting from that network - and disabling autoconnect - does NOT prevent that same network reconnecting again when it is in range.

Why can i not - on windows 8 - simply disable connection to an unknown network...??

All i can see is that this is a "feature" which allows "someone" to track a laptop by enabling a laptop to "automatically" connect to a wireless network, without the users control or knowledge...  but that would be bizarre since most of the time the strategy seems to be the opposite.

Please advise how to resolve this issue.

At last! The reason  I believe  that they won't do anything is because they cannot do anything! The reason is that anyone including gov agencies can and need to retrieve, follow and also manipulate data in much the same way as hackers do therefore they will not do anything! Everything you do on these electronic communication devices is accessed, recorded, monitored, censored, changed, deleted, modified, saved, used by whoever can see the data. I wondered how I got a virus when my IP provider supposed to be protecting me also my internet security was bypassed with ease having recently renewed my subscription to which it states I'm protected! Total waste of money! If this dose not get fixed the internet is dead for sure as people drift away from such devices that are not secure. R.I.B. (Rest In Bits!)my devices. The concept was great but with some serious flaws in it's design structure.

I have just (above) summarized the 'non-issue' for you. There is no "problem". It is a feature of Windows 10 (Wi-Fi) to function as I have described previously. Microsoft have not addressed the "problem" because for them it is not a "problem", it is simply a matter of people not understanding the function of Windows 10, in particular in regard to Wi-Fi and the 'auto-connect' functioning.

There is a saying that the customer is always right, so if the customer expects to be able to toggle the 'connect automatically' option for a network they're not connected to then you should seriously consider implement this.  Saying that the customer has got it wrong is not the most customer oriented strategy, especially when implementing it won't hurt the way things work too much.

Another way to look at it would be that if the computer doesn't connect automatically to networks it hasn't connected to, then

  * Having a tick in the connect automatically box next to a never connected-to network by default is a bug, because it doesn't connect automatically to that network or even try. 

  * The tick should only appear upon the first connection to that network (unless there is an option to not do this, which I'm not sure there is or should be).

  *  If the user unchecks that option, then the computer should remember this the next time it connects to the network (this bit is currently the case).

Another option is to get rid of the checkbox altogether until the first time a connection to the network is made.

NOTE: First time includes first time after forgetting about a network.

Steps to reproduce the problem....

Ensure there are no other wireless networks available in your vicinity..

1. Create a new unsecured wireless network.
2. Start your Windows 8 machine.

Note :

1. the machine will, automatically on startup, connect to the the wireless network from step 1.
2. Since the wireless network is new and not previously known, there is KNOW WAY to disable autoconnection, until it has been registered, which by then it is too late.

I repeat - the scenario is, that as a traveler, you are constantly exposed to open wireless networks, some of quite dubious nature.

Windows 8 seems to have a default setting to connect to any open wireless network, INCLUDING PREVIOUS UNKNOWN ONES - and this is the issue.  It will always, or so it seems connect to previously unknown open wireless networks, when no other network is available....

This is SERIOUSLY WRONG!!!! imho!

Again, i cannot believe this is not being tested by anyone.

Thanks in advance for your help :)

Hi Abdul

Thanks again. No that article doesn't address the issue.

1. It doesn't talk about where all networks have 'automatically connect' checked, so the issue still exists when I come into range of a free unsecured network that I've never been in range of before (for example when I travel overseas).
2. Even disconnecting from a network does not uncheck the 'connect automatically' box.
3. Not really related to the issue, but right clicking on a network in the networks box (the list that appears when clicking the networks icon in the system tray) doesn't give me a menu, it does nothing. Left clicking similarly only gives me two options, to connect or to uncheck 'automatically connect' box (which as discussed doesn't work), so there is no 'forget network' option.

Computer Information:

Model: Toshiba z930/11

Wireless adapter: Intel Centrino n2230

O/s: Win 8 64bit

NOTE: Seems not an isolated case, have found other instances while searching the web. For instance:http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/forums/29/windows-8-help/4236751/turning-off-auto-wifi-connect/

Cdchi1