Neowin.net - Microsoft: Vista Won't Get a Backdoor

Microsoft: Vista Won't Get a Backdoor

Posted by malebolgia on 05 March 2006 - 21:58 · 64 comments & 16173 views

Windows Vista won't have a backdoor that could be used by police forces to get into encrypted files, Microsoft has stressed.

In February, a BBC News story suggested that the British government was in discussions with Microsoft over backdoor access to the operating system. A backdoor is a method of bypassing normal authentication to gain access to a computer without to the PC user knowing. But Microsoft has now quelled the suggestion that law enforcement might get such access. "Microsoft has not and will not put 'backdoors' into Windows," a company representative said in a statement sent via e-mail.

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(1 reply) #1 Posted by Acezo on 05 Mar 2006 - 22:03: And hopefully that's that.

(7 replies) #2 Posted by Blackice on 05 Mar 2006 - 22:13: now, cue the furious sceptics...

(1 reply) #3 Posted by amadeijohn on 05 Mar 2006 - 22:41: Only time will tell!

(1 reply) #4 Posted by VinnyJ5 on 05 Mar 2006 - 22:43: Wait if Vista won't get one.. does that mean XP already has one?

(1 reply) #5 Posted by Croquant on 05 Mar 2006 - 23:04: If they were going to put in a backdoor, do you really think they'd tell everyone?
How stupid do you think the cops are? No, they'd deny it, and then secretly implement it, and then only use it under a veil of secrecy.
But forget I said anything. Becasue there's no backdoor. Becasue they said there isn't, and you trust the government.

(2 replies) #6 Posted by Malbojia on 05 Mar 2006 - 23:14: Windows+NSA all I need to say

(1 reply) #7 Posted by Kushan on 06 Mar 2006 - 00:31: They wouldn't be able to announce it publicly anyway. A lot of people don't know that most printers these days leave a special watermark that can't be easily seen by the human eye. This lets authorities track copied things back to whoever bought it in the first place.

(3 replies) #8 Posted by Xantos on 06 Mar 2006 - 00:54: You couldnt even keep this a secret even if they did put one in secretly, really how long do you think it would take the thousands of hackers, coders, script kiddies out there to find it. maybe 2 or 3 months at tops?

#9 Posted by quick on 06 Mar 2006 - 01:11: Not really possible anyway, without it resulting in some big exploit.... hackers are always gonna be smart enough to find it and use it, unfortunately.

#10 Posted by Buttus on 06 Mar 2006 - 01:44: I always thought backdoors were supposed to be secret, so of course there's not going to be one in Vista!
what kind of secret would it be if they told us?!?!

#11 Posted by Neuroglider on 06 Mar 2006 - 02:51: "Vista Won't Get a Backdoor".......as if its secure enough already :p

#12 Posted by g_denne on 06 Mar 2006 - 02:57: I don't believe for a second that there aren't ways for Government and Police to get hold of data if they want to get it. I'm sure there are ways in any OS available.

#13 Posted by thepitt on 06 Mar 2006 - 03:14: sounds like a bad joke.
I hope this is for real.

#14 Posted by thenay on 06 Mar 2006 - 03:30: There will always be vulnerabilities in the Microsoft OS, the day there isn't is when people hardly use it and the hackers will try the main used OS out there being used, but I can't see the Microsoft OS being replacing by anything.. atleast for a while.. lol

(2 replies) #15 Posted by virtorio on 06 Mar 2006 - 03:31: Use a third party encryption tool and problem solved, not that I think there was a problem to begin with.

#16 Posted by Jugalator on 06 Mar 2006 - 07:30: lol

If there's a backdoor, it won't be acknowledged by Microsoft in media. That would be no backdoor.

The only way to find out would be Microsoft opening up the source for full inspection, but that won't happen.

Even their shared source initiative doesn't disclose the full source.

The problem with closed source is that we'll just have to take their word for it. :-p

#17 Posted by Mprime on 06 Mar 2006 - 07:38: you people are not thinking, as smart as you are, if there were a back door in XP or any MS OS, by now someone would have found it. Most certainly crackers and wat not. Hell do you think the goverment would want to use Windows with a back door to it? Chinese crackers could find it by getting a non-chinese and chinese version, what security would there be? There is no back door. Only fools who do not use firewalls, software or hardware.

#18 Posted by sanghoku on 06 Mar 2006 - 09:16: "Microsoft has not and will not put 'backdoors' into Windows,"

there's a thin line between putting one in and 'leaving' one in

(1 reply) #19 Posted by cartri on 06 Mar 2006 - 09:36: Will not? We can believe if we want to...

But... Has not?
And about that Windows Media Player stuff discovered in 2004?
It was censured news there on US?

#20 Posted by windows95isg8 on 06 Mar 2006 - 09:40: Well done to MS for saying that, what I dont get is if MS are doing this (It would help the user) Why do hackers feel the need to get past it. Having backdoor access would make the system open to all sorts of ****. There are lots of sorts of hackers, but the ones that do it so they can learn how to mess up others Computers, are sad and need to get a life. It makes me mad, that some people out there, wana **** up your PC, for WHAT!!

I see the PC, as somthing to help get jobs done fast and well. Also to give you g8 home entertainment. Its not there for people to try and make it crash other peoples systems, and send out worms.

Hackers= ******s lol

#21 Posted by ALUOp on 06 Mar 2006 - 10:49: I hope this is true.
Microsoft never correctly and securely implements anything about security, so if they have implemented or are going to implement a backdoor for the government, it means they have implemented or are going to implement a backdoor for everyone.

#22 Posted by Ficman on 06 Mar 2006 - 10:50: Good call MS...

(1 reply) #23 Posted by norseman on 06 Mar 2006 - 13:59: If someone wanted to connect through this so called backdoor wouldnt our firewalls notify us about this? Wouldn't netstat show such a service and port open? etc etc..

#24 Posted by chorpeac on 06 Mar 2006 - 14:05: they say no access, so it doesn't hurt their rep and business, but I bet there is one...

(1 reply) #25 Posted by obsolete_power on 06 Mar 2006 - 14:33: I am highly against invasion of privacy even if it is the law. Privacy is privacy and should not be compromised without the user's consent. If they want access to the computer they have to notify the user first. It is very cowardly to spy on someone without him knowing and then later file a suit against him/her.

#26 Posted by njlouch on 06 Mar 2006 - 18:18: Will there be a version with patio doors?

(2 replies) #27 Posted by Sub on 06 Mar 2006 - 18:38: lol, like Microsoft needs to put backdoor in there OS. They already exisit.

(1 reply) #28 Posted by Omn1 on 06 Mar 2006 - 23:30: Good thing to. That is exactly what we need, companies that won't crumble to requests by governments. To me the major point is that not whether the government would be able to get into your files, or even a common theif, but instead that such a large and persuasive company won't give to to rediculous requests. The moment that a company like Microsoft starts doing the government's work voluntarily is the first day of the end of the world. Now if Micrsoft did it for Vista N edition I wouldn't care, no one buys that crap anyways.

#29 Posted by freedom77 on 07 Mar 2006 - 04:09: of course it will have a backdoor, thats why they say it won't.

#30 Posted by conna on 07 Mar 2006 - 07:51: Why worry about the back door when the front door is usually wide open?

#31 Posted by DeanNapper on 07 Mar 2006 - 09:23: Surly there is already a back door to the encryption. Microsoft have a master private/public key pair (the private key probably locked up in some secure vault somewhere) which would allow anyone who has this to decrypt any encryted file system data on Windows.

OK, Microsoft are never going to give this private key out, but what would happen if there was Government pressure to provide it?

#32 Posted by P1R4T3 on 07 Mar 2006 - 13:15: Microsoft is protecting my pr0n movies. Thats great :p

#33 Posted by leesmithg on 07 Mar 2006 - 13:25: Well this is the way of the British govenment, the labour party, the party for the people, ha@that.

I have no intention of using vista.

I will stay with XP Pro, as it's for my needs, however, we will find a way of making sure no reds come up our back door if you catch my drift.

One thing that does puzzle me, with possibly 2 million to start with, computers running vista in the UK, then maybe moves onto 4 and a bit million in a couple of years via o.e.m etc do they have enough manpower to monitor us all?

If they are trying to 'tap' a specific computer that is not running vista, do they phone the terrorist up and insist they use vista?

The person might be using another operating system.

It's all bollox, just like id cards yesterday being downgraded from compulsory to voluntary.

Microsft would become bankrupt if they were made to create an operating system that can be tapped by a government.

Not in their interests.

(1 reply) #34 Posted by ruudjacobs on 07 Mar 2006 - 16:35: Like... there will be unintentional backdoors anyway

#35 Posted by ambiance on 07 Mar 2006 - 22:10: Thank God! That rumour had me jumping the gun, Vista Home Premium it is.

#36 Posted by swordfish on 09 Mar 2006 - 05:20: backdoor... MMmmMMmmMM

Sounds like OMG A VIRUS!!?!??!!? OMG OMG OMG

WINDOWS = VIRUS~!?!?!?!?!?~ OMGS

#37 Posted by PeteWhite on 09 Mar 2006 - 09:46: Sorry to burst everyone's bubble, but in the UK there is no need for a backdoor as the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) grants a power which allows certain authorities e.g. the police to force the disclosure of information that is stored in an encrypted form and in certain circumstances it can force the disclosure of the encryption key itself.

Pete

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