US EditionMicrosoft Gave FBI Keys To Unlock Encrypted Data, Exposing Major Privacy Flaw
Microsoft handed FBI BitLocker keys under a valid warrant to unlock laptops tied to a Pandemic Unemployment Assistance fraud probe, marking its first known key disclosure.
- On Friday, Forbes reported Microsoft provided the FBI with BitLocker recovery keys to unlock encrypted data on three laptops after receiving a valid legal order.
- The case centers on alleged Pandemic Unemployment Assistance fraud as federal investigators in Guam believed the seized devices held evidence, with a warrant served to Microsoft early last year.
- BitLocker recovery keys are uploaded by default to Microsoft’s cloud, and Microsoft told Forbes it receives around 20 requests per year, sometimes providing keys with a valid legal order.
- The defense lawyer for Charissa Tenorio said prosecutors' filings included material referencing BitLocker keys Microsoft provided, while an ICE Homeland Security Investigations forensic expert said his unit lacked tools to break BitLocker encryption.
- The handover positions Microsoft as an industry outlier, as privacy experts and academics warned remote key storage is risky amid cloud infrastructure compromised in recent years.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Microsoft handed over BitLocker keys to the FBI to access three computers seized as part of an investigation in Guam. The encrypted files could be opened thanks to the keys stored on the company's servers.
Anyone who believes that using the BitLocker encryption of Microsoft data is 100 percent safe should think about it again. In the US, reports are currently making the rounds that Microsoft BitLocker has released keys. (Continue reading)
Microsoft has transmitted to the FBI the necessary recovery keys to unlock encrypted storage media from three laptops as part of a federal investigation. This cooperation, revealed by a fraud case in Guam, highlights a potential flaw in data protection ... Read more Like KultureGeek on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter Don't forget to download our free iAddict app for iPhone and iPad (link App Store) The Microsoft article delivers BitLocker enc…
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