Windows Stores Toast Notifications in SQLite Database, Raising Privacy Awareness
Windows 10/11 stores all toast notifications locally in a SQLite database file called wpndatabase.db, located in each user's AppData folder. Security researchers can query this database using standard SQL commands to retrieve notification history, including payload content, arrival time, and handler IDs. A practical example shows how an unsolicited 'Phone Link' setup reminder can be traced back to Microsoft's YourPhone app triggering a first-run experience notification. Users who do not use the Phone Link feature can remove the app entirely via a PowerShell command to stop such notifications. The finding highlights how built-in Windows apps can silently generate background activity that is logged and queryable on the local system.
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