I was wondering when a reporter would uncover this.
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I was wondering when a reporter would uncover this.
So BitLocker is super secure, right? Well... BitLocker recovery keys are backed up to Microsoft's Cloud - and they give them out to law enforcement on request. Using the BitLocker recovery key, you can just unlock the device without a PIN etc.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2026/01/22/microsoft-gave-fbi-keys-to-unlock-bitlocker-encrypted-data/@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. -
I was wondering when a reporter would uncover this.
So BitLocker is super secure, right? Well... BitLocker recovery keys are backed up to Microsoft's Cloud - and they give them out to law enforcement on request. Using the BitLocker recovery key, you can just unlock the device without a PIN etc.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2026/01/22/microsoft-gave-fbi-keys-to-unlock-bitlocker-encrypted-data/@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.
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I was wondering when a reporter would uncover this.
So BitLocker is super secure, right? Well... BitLocker recovery keys are backed up to Microsoft's Cloud - and they give them out to law enforcement on request. Using the BitLocker recovery key, you can just unlock the device without a PIN etc.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2026/01/22/microsoft-gave-fbi-keys-to-unlock-bitlocker-encrypted-data/Lesson: Never trust cloud-based encryption systems from any company.
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I was wondering when a reporter would uncover this.
So BitLocker is super secure, right? Well... BitLocker recovery keys are backed up to Microsoft's Cloud - and they give them out to law enforcement on request. Using the BitLocker recovery key, you can just unlock the device without a PIN etc.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2026/01/22/microsoft-gave-fbi-keys-to-unlock-bitlocker-encrypted-data/@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.
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I was wondering when a reporter would uncover this.
So BitLocker is super secure, right? Well... BitLocker recovery keys are backed up to Microsoft's Cloud - and they give them out to law enforcement on request. Using the BitLocker recovery key, you can just unlock the device without a PIN etc.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2026/01/22/microsoft-gave-fbi-keys-to-unlock-bitlocker-encrypted-data/@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
AlwaysIt is time these guys grew up and became adults
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I was wondering when a reporter would uncover this.
So BitLocker is super secure, right? Well... BitLocker recovery keys are backed up to Microsoft's Cloud - and they give them out to law enforcement on request. Using the BitLocker recovery key, you can just unlock the device without a PIN etc.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2026/01/22/microsoft-gave-fbi-keys-to-unlock-bitlocker-encrypted-data/@GossiTheDog lol what point is there to the encryption then if it’s backdoored so cops can just ask daddy microslop for the keys
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I was wondering when a reporter would uncover this.
So BitLocker is super secure, right? Well... BitLocker recovery keys are backed up to Microsoft's Cloud - and they give them out to law enforcement on request. Using the BitLocker recovery key, you can just unlock the device without a PIN etc.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2026/01/22/microsoft-gave-fbi-keys-to-unlock-bitlocker-encrypted-data/@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
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@GossiTheDog lol what point is there to the encryption then if it’s backdoored so cops can just ask daddy microslop for the keys
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I was wondering when a reporter would uncover this.
So BitLocker is super secure, right? Well... BitLocker recovery keys are backed up to Microsoft's Cloud - and they give them out to law enforcement on request. Using the BitLocker recovery key, you can just unlock the device without a PIN etc.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2026/01/22/microsoft-gave-fbi-keys-to-unlock-bitlocker-encrypted-data/@GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social i remember thinking "wow that doesnt seem secure" when i saw the button to download bitlocker keys on my microsoft account page
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I was wondering when a reporter would uncover this.
So BitLocker is super secure, right? Well... BitLocker recovery keys are backed up to Microsoft's Cloud - and they give them out to law enforcement on request. Using the BitLocker recovery key, you can just unlock the device without a PIN etc.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2026/01/22/microsoft-gave-fbi-keys-to-unlock-bitlocker-encrypted-data/@GossiTheDog never trust a capitalist.
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@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@GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social oh also as a note to all the users who installed windows with a local system account instead of linking your microsoft account
none of you have an encrypted OS drive, it just doesn't encrypt your drives by default if you do that because it can't back the keys up to MS cloud -
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@GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social i remember thinking "wow that doesnt seem secure" when i saw the button to download bitlocker keys on my microsoft account page
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I was wondering when a reporter would uncover this.
So BitLocker is super secure, right? Well... BitLocker recovery keys are backed up to Microsoft's Cloud - and they give them out to law enforcement on request. Using the BitLocker recovery key, you can just unlock the device without a PIN etc.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2026/01/22/microsoft-gave-fbi-keys-to-unlock-bitlocker-encrypted-data/Anyone truly surprised? Microsoft has a history of building back doors into their products under the guise of customer service.
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@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
AlwaysIt is time these guys grew up and became adults
@mloxton @GossiTheDog …and stop dreaming about being filthy rich, it’s not equitable nor sustainable.
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@jkmcnk Yup, certainly. Firing up my win machine now to see what's up with that.
@christopherkunz I call it my gaming machine, but with windows 10 going eol, I'm now researching steamos/stock linux with proton options.
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@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?).
It became the default option if you use a Microslop account a little while ago.
Obviously not something to worry about if you use workarounds for a local account, and I'm not sure what happens with organisational MS accounts.
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@GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social oh also as a note to all the users who installed windows with a local system account instead of linking your microsoft account
none of you have an encrypted OS drive, it just doesn't encrypt your drives by default if you do that because it can't back the keys up to MS cloud@froge @GossiTheDog "By default". Rightfully so. The default should never be "you lose everything if you lose your keys". If you want an encrypted drive that you can't recover by putting it in another machine, you should have to opt in to that and understand the risks and availability-confidentiality tradeoff.
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@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
AlwaysIt is time these guys grew up and became adults
@mloxton @GossiTheDog They won't because the goal for them is never to have a working equitable sustainable system. It's to justify their adversarial existence and place on the top above responsibility, screw the people they were supposed to be protecting.
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I was wondering when a reporter would uncover this.
So BitLocker is super secure, right? Well... BitLocker recovery keys are backed up to Microsoft's Cloud - and they give them out to law enforcement on request. Using the BitLocker recovery key, you can just unlock the device without a PIN etc.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2026/01/22/microsoft-gave-fbi-keys-to-unlock-bitlocker-encrypted-data/@GossiTheDog a reminder: in cyberspace, all doors are front doors.
Howard Chu @ Symas (@hyc@mastodon.social)
@queserasera@infosec.exchange if your tech isn't strong enough to protect the bad guys, it's not strong enough to protect the good guys either. In cyberspace, all doors are front doors. https://mastodon.social/@hyc/113482990473529910
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