Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Microsoft Gave the FBI BitLocker Encryption Keys

Microsoft provided the FBI with the recovery keys to unlock encrypted data on the hard drives of three laptops as part of a federal investigation, Forbes reported on Friday.

Posted by LampLighter at 09:33 AM | 9 COMMENTS | permalink

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Microsoft has confirmed it will hand over BitLocker encryption recovery keys to the FBI. You definitely should not be accepting Microsoft's default of storing BitLocker keys in the cloud when signing into Windows with an MS account www.theverge.com/news/867244/ ...

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-- Tom Warren (@tomwarren.co.uk) Jan 24, 2026 at 6:00 PM

Comments

More from the article ...

... Many modern Windows computers rely on full-disk encryption, called BitLocker, which is enabled by default.

This type of technology should prevent anyone except the device owner from accessing the data if the computer is locked and powered off.

But, by default, BitLocker recovery keys are uploaded to Microsoft's cloud, allowing the tech giant -- and by extension law enforcement -- to access them and use them to decrypt drives encrypted with BitLocker, as with the case reported by Forbes. ...



#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-01-27 12:05 AM

Tangentially related ...

How to Install and Log In to Windows 11 Without a Microsoft Account (2025)
www.tomshardware.com

... Microsoft wants users to sign in with a Microsoft account, for tracking ...


#2 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-01-27 12:08 AM

Anybody use openvpn?

Notice they don't make protocol IPSEC available for your remote connections. Its what serious players like banks, sod and anyone else whos serious about encryption. Enough said.

#3 | Posted by fresno500 at 2026-01-27 05:17 PM

Dod

#4 | Posted by fresno500 at 2026-01-27 05:17 PM

While I appreciate the issue that is being raised here, if you are in physical possession of the hard drive, you can physically bypass BitLocker.

#5 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-01-27 05:24 PM

A vpn is your network, bitlocker is your hard drive

#6 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2026-01-27 09:43 PM

Re 2

Newsworthy! (I think I hit FF accidentally)

My wife got locked out of her PC for over a month because she had accidentally logged into Microsoft when she started up her new PC she got for Christmas.

It took that long for Microsoft to verify she did not want to log into Microsoft and to correct the login problem.

#7 | Posted by donnerboy at 2026-01-28 12:52 PM

bootlicker Bitlocker

#8 | Posted by hamburglar at 2026-01-28 06:24 PM

While I appreciate the issue that is being raised here, if you are in physical possession of the hard drive, you can physically bypass BitLocker.
#5 | POSTED BY SNOOFY

HardDrive or the motherboard/drive with the discrete TPM chip?

My understanding is pulling the drive, and dropping it into a non-secured machine or some other adaptor would not provide any data, or visibility into the IK which is eventually used to decrypt the drive.

IOW You need the IK key stored by the TPM which the drive was attached to in order to decrypt the drive.

#9 | Posted by oneironaut at 2026-01-29 05:39 PM

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