Back in January Microsoft encrypted all my hard drives without saying anything. I was playing around with a dual boot yesterday and somehow aggravated Secureboot. So my C: panicked and required a 40 character key to unlock.
Your key is backed up to the Microsoft account associated with your install. Which is considerate to the hackers. (and saved me from a re-install) But if you’ve got an unactivated copy, local account, or don’t know your M$ account credentials, your boned.
Control Panel > System Security > Bitlocker Encryption.
BTW, I was aware that M$ was doing this and even made fun of the effected users. Karma.
They also do spyware. They just renamed it “AI.”
and also Recall
Rectal is what it’s called I believe?
Microsoft Rectal
Can you remind me what that “recall” is?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Recall
Basically takes screenshots and stores them, then scans them and makes the text searchable. There’s been a bit of controversy over it lately and how it deals with PII/PHI.
Open your mind!
Did they change it from “telemetry” to AI now?
Holy shit, they automatically activate it on computers without an account to back the key up to?
That’s just malicious
IIRC, they only do this if you’re logged in with a Microsoft account.
Bitlocker is disabled by default if you only use local accounts
I’ve occasionally seen it activate itself on computers with only a local account, though I’ve so far only seen it when upgrading in place to 11 with secure boot enabled in the BIOS, and not every time. Fortunately the one time it locked me out was on a freshly cloned drive, so it only cost me redoing the work.
Also, the number of people who I’ve seen lose all their data because they don’t even know they created an MS account during OOBE, and later had a boot or BIOS hiccup, is too damn high!
🤔 shit… you right
They desperately wanted to eliminate personal computers and replace them with dumb terminals running over the net.
When the public rejected this idea
THIS is their response. They are still insisting on total control of our computers.
Just wait until you learn about Intel’s Management Engine…
Not that it helps now, but you can also dump your bitlocker recovery key through powershell and save it independently.
(Get-BitLockerVolume -MountPoint “C”).KeyProtector
The control panel dialogue allows you to do this as well. Control Panel > system security > Bitlocker encryption. But it also has the superior option which is to turn it off.
I didn’t loose any data BTW. I had my M$ account info, and a backup besides.
I’ve actually had this occur before to a machine I specifically disabled the tpm on so that it wouldn’t happen (it was an account less frozen kiosk). I was fuming the entire time I spent rebuilding it.
Windows is the virus.
I just installed Manjaro on my daily driver over the weekend. My entire steam library just works. My dev tools all work(better) on Linux, and free office is nice and familiar. Fuck widows.
Bazitte ! Try Bazitte.
This happened to me once and I had to redo my coursework over the weekend…now I use Fedora :D
Why cant windows copy luks and let you choose your own password
because people will set hunter2 and be done with it.
So?
You can use pins, passwords, TPM, a usb key, or multiple in combination. But generally TPM is the best option for most users
Oh I thought you can only pick tpm
I’m pretty sure you can get your recovery key and write that down elsewhere.
Ik that
I still don’t understand why there is no other mainstream os in competition alongside MS except IOs, I wouldn’t call Linux mainstream of course, don’t you think that’s a bit weird?!
Microsoft is almost good as dead. These days, Linux takes just as much maintenance as XP used to. They’ve got maybe 5 years left until laptops start shipping with alternatives to Windows. My bet is it’s going to be SteamOS.
There are already big brands offering laptops with linux in lieu of windows.
This has been happening to people randomly for years. Ysed to get calls about it all the time, and that was pre-covid
I just leave secure boot/bitlocker off when it comes to my home system. It wasnt something I “needed” when I was dual booting windows 10 and it’s not something I’m gonna enable now that I’m using 11.
It’s not ”leaving bitlocker off”, though. It’s ”be aware about it and turn bitlocker off manually” since it’s enabled by default in the latest updates.
That’s false. My Windows partition didn’t magically enable bitlocker and I’m on 24h2. LTSC build and local account tho.
You know, this is actually one Windows decision I agree with. Encryption should be default, especially on portable devices like laptops. For an OS aimed at people who want to use their computers, rather than understand them, you have to choose an encryption that works by default for most of your non-tech-savvy users.
If they want their data truly in their own hands, or full control, use Linux.
If they want to use Windows, but not rely on a Microsoft account for recovery, get the bitlocker recovery key and write it down (which you can do).
But I think this looks like a sane default.
(Full disclosure, I don’t use Windows for anything I care about!)
Would be fine. The problem is, Microsoft is encrypting drives and not telling anybody about it. Average users have no clue what any of this is and are completely unaware they need to create a passphrase for safe keeping.
Fair point.
Respectfully, hard disagree and terrible take. I work in IT, and your stance only makes sense if people have some tech knowledge. Which is never going to happen for the average person.
I can’t tell you how many older people I’ve had to tell that I can’t save their grandkids first pics because of bitlocker
That still happens without bitlocker. Computers are dropped. Facebook passwords are forgotten.
I acknowledge automatic encryption is going to make some more cases of lost data, but, with respect, I think the benefit of making fewer cases of stolen data is worth it. I agree with the other commenter that users should be made aware of it more clearly.
Also, as much as I hate the push to Microsoft accounts, I have to admit it helps mitigate this problem: if all ordinary users have an account looking after their master keys, then they can turn to that when they forget their login password etc. but the opportunistic thief on the train can’t (as easily). Not every grandma has a Millennial relative at hand to boot Linux to rescue files off her HDD. And for those who don’t like to trust their master keys to Microsoft/Apple/Google? There’s Linux. And external backups. And saving your password somewhere safe.
Not nearly as much. If someone breaks their motherboard in half but the hard drive is okay, I can get their data unless they have bitlocker. Microsoft is encrypting drives and storing the keys in the TPM only, and it is insane. My grandma doesn’t have state secrets on her laptop, she doesn’t need encryption.
So, your grandma doesn’t need encryption. She might not need a seatbelt either. But it’s not only state secrets that are worth protecting. Does she have internet banking, with cookies stored in her browser? But many people do, and it’s either encryption for everyone, or for (almost) no one.
Hah is there a rash of nursing home break ins that I’m unaware of? I’m in the field, the way that is happening is phishing with fake ads and emails
Very few people are breaking into a laptop for cookies, it’s tremendous amounts of work, and is usually targeted. Motherboards die all the time, and take the TPM with them
Hah is there a rash of nursing home break ins that I’m unaware of?
I mean, not Windows user lives in a nursing home. I wish! But some lose laptops on the train, and some even throw their computers away!
Sure, most of the risk is remote through emails etc. Maybe you’re right. Maybe the balance is better the other way round: let all Windows Home users’ computers stay unencryptedv at rest, and keep encryption for Pro users. I grew up with a high focus on security; maybe I’m paranoid.
But phones are all encrypted these days. Obviously they’re more mobile and at more risk, but that suggests to me that laptops are subject to similar, if smaller, risks.
I get it, but as someone who has had to tell little old ladies their data is fucked, I am beyond pissed at Microsoft’s implementation. They should not be encrypting data without forcing lay people to have backup codes printed or on a flash drive or something.
They’re doing this because they want to force people to her Microsoft accounts, probably just to collect more data.
And for the record, I am very pro encryption The half assed way of encrypting even if there isn’t a Microsoft account connected and therefore no way to save keys somewhere is completely unacceptable
