I was wondering when a reporter would uncover this.

Linuxine

@GossiTheDog for me, Bitlocker is basically Microsoft saying "for your safety, we will encrypt your device, don't you worry, I keep the key". Personally, I prefer to choose and keep the key myself when I want something locked

And now it is even better to learn that the key is not given to the user by default, but provided to the FBI

Benjamin

@Killertomato @GossiTheDog when reading about privacy violation enforcement actions by the FTC there were a lot that would have been resolved by this. Laptops full of patient data stolen from a car, etc.

Honestly it probably mitigates most crimes where an encrypted hard drive avoids the risk. Not all. And not all the non-crime related reasons people care about privacy

Ruston 🇨🇦

@GossiTheDog Another reason I do not use Microsoft. I am forced at work to use it but i try as many work around to avoid it as much as possible. Only another 450 days left of being forced to use it.

squillace

@jt_rebelo @Infoseepage @GossiTheDog that is precisely the point. you CAN possess and NOT backup your keys in a cloud. But sure, it makes it easy for msft to help you out in a pinch. But MSFT could upload an encrypted version -- they do not offer that. Unfortunately.

Toxy 🔬🇪🇺🇸🇪🇬🇧🇺🇦

@GossiTheDog Bloody Nora!

Spark Purcell (they/them)

@Infoseepage @GossiTheDog Corporations can't be trusted.They prove that over and over.

squillace

@jt_rebelo @Infoseepage @GossiTheDog altneratively, they could store it in the TEE encrypted drive now, but again, they don't offer that. MSFT can't touch that one. But you have to know; normal users obviously do not.

Dr. Christopher Kunz

@GossiTheDog uploading the BitLocker recovery keys to the MS cloud is not default behavior, is it? Even the Forbes article states that you can opt-out of it (or do you even have to opt-in?).

jaKa Močnik

@christopherkunz @GossiTheDog if you have to to opt out, that makes it default behaviour by definition.

Dr. Christopher Kunz

@jkmcnk Yup, certainly. Firing up my win machine now to see what's up with that.

Jan CT B. Dipl.-Ing.

@GossiTheDog yep thzx. Just wanna add: in order to get the key from MS, it leaves ztraces in the Ermittliungsakte/ papers...just checking on the HDD drive won't (as 2 same amounts)...the info is important!

Katharta

@GossiTheDog IT admins everywhere should have started exploring viable alternatives the second Candy Crush showed up in Windows Enterprise.

If the FBI can obtain someone's Bitlocker keys, that means malicious actors can, too.

There is no such things as a backdoor for only the good guys.

Ben Todd

@GossiTheDog

It's not a flaw. It's a feature. For authority and Microslop.

Tanquist

@GossiTheDog
Maybe that's why our IT department didn't bother to require bitlocker encryption on storage devices I plug into my new PC (actually, I think it was just an oversight).
Anyway it makes my job easier because I occasionally need to exchange data with really old applications on an unconnected XP laptop which can't run bitlocker.

Ronny Lam

@GossiTheDog You know those video's with "Wait for it!"? This is the one. I know this not an option for everyone but I love the combination of Linux and LUKS file-systems. Oh and if you don't hit bootselect at power-on, my machines boot into a small and clean Windows. Good luck with that.

Rishab Yadav

@GossiTheDog

Lesson: Never trust cloud-based encryption systems from any company.

Netraven

@GossiTheDog EVERY US corporation is an extension of the US government since the Patriot Act. Whatever the government says, they must comply, and they can't talk about it. According to the law.

Matthew Loxton

@GossiTheDog
At some point, I hope that the national security guys, the techbros, and everyone in between, will come to a final fucking realization that no matter how pure your thoughts and intentions, building backdoors or skeleton keys will ALWAYS eventually wind up in the wrong hands.

Like every time
Always

It is time these guys grew up and became adults

zaire the insane anarchist

@GossiTheDog lol what point is there to the encryption then if it’s backdoored so cops can just ask daddy microslop for the keys

CyberFrog

@GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social Windows charging people for a pro/enterprise license to encrypt more than the OS drive (while still uploading their keys to the cloud) is also just insane to me

For a long time I think you had to pay for a pro license to even encrypt your drives at all, but luckily they stopped doing that, instead you get to encrypt the OS drive for free and everything else is gonna cost you a few hundred extra dollars

Wandering Adventure Party

I was wondering when a reporter would uncover this.