Microsoft Denies Windows 7 Has NSA Backdoor
No backdoor action for Windows 7, assures Microsoft.
Earlier this week we learned that the National Security Agency (NSA) has been working with Microsoft to improve the security measures of Windows 7.
"Working in partnership with Microsoft and (the Department of Defense), NSA leveraged our unique expertise and operational knowledge of system threats and vulnerabilities to enhance Microsoft's operating system security guide without constraining the user's ability to perform their everyday tasks," said Richard Schaeffer, the NSA's Information Assurance Director. "All this was done in coordination with the product release, not months or years later in the product cycle."
This cooperation by the two bodies led some to theorize that the NSA and Microsoft may have somehow built a backdoor into Windows 7.
Marc Rotenberg, the executive director of the Electronics Privacy Information Center (EPIC), expressed his concern as the NSA has an interest in surveillance as as a part of its efforts in security.
"The key problem is that NSA has a dual mission, COMPUSEC, computer security, now called cyber security, and SIGINT, signals intelligence, in other words surveillance," Rotenberg said in an e-mail.
Microsoft quickly responded to such concerns.
"Microsoft has not and will not put 'backdoors' into Windows," a company spokeswoman said to Computerworld. "The work being discussed here is purely in conjunction with our Security Compliance Management Toolkit."
Of course, that's the expected response and conspiracy theorists won't likely be set easy with just that statement.
"The key point is that the NSA is not the right agency to promote computer security in the private sector," Rotenberg argued. "The risks to end users are real -- the original NSA key escrow proposal, 'Clipper,' was a terrible idea -- and there is too little transparency about these arrangements."
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Enemy of the State
Alot of Huppla about nothing. If this helps the FBI catch future terrorists i'm all for it, if your not doing anything majorly wrong you have nothing to worry about. IF your steeling money with your PC or useing it for terrorism activitys than maybe it's not for you. If Microsoft is telling the truth which i think they are, than it's win win for all except the hackers.
I wouldn't worry so much about Microsoft announcing a collaboration with the NSAs COMPUSEC group. I would be more concerned if there were reports from, "employees speaking on condition of anonymity" about collaboration with the NSA that the company officially denied.
Besides which, if you're really worried, you can always install a 3rd party, whole disk encryption like TrueCrypt or PGP.
oh brother, this is way to paranoid. Up there with black helicopters
I don't think Microsoft would go along with any surveillance plans, especially since several governments have had a merry old time screwing them over. I also don't think Microsoft programmers would let an obvious thing like an NSA back door slip past them, so I think we're safe...
o_O
Even if it did, Microsoft would deny it, anyways.
Support Reactos and opensource while using Windows. Face it without access to the source code you have no idea what's going on your system unless you hex edit the entire windows api. IF MS turns into a big brother OS at least you have a viable choice with open source(sorry don't count snow leopard).
Well I do not think you can trust either M$ or the NSA. No need to go into why M$ should be looked at with a weary eye everyone hear already knows why. As for the NSA, well, we all know they have had the authority for a while now to spy, survey, and keep tabs on Americans for years. So how can you trust them to tell you straight up, especially when they say one thing but M$ says the other. It just starts raising questions conspiracy or not.
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." -Benjamin Franklin
When asked, "whats a backdoor"? Micrsoft had no comment.
If your not doing anything majorly wrong you have nothing to worry about.
This is exactly the attitude that will turn your free country into a controlled state.
"Only those who break laws need to worry about surveillance". That is so wrong! What happens IF the gov't one day pushes an unjust law (there are arguably many of those right now). If the state has complete surveillance (which you want), and you break that unjust law, you'll go to jail or worse. Society can't allow their privacy and freedoms to be taken away for paranoia of an overblown threat (terrorism, crime, etc). You can't allow your freedoms to be taken so easily under the ruse of national security. Do you know for sure you nation is insecure? Could it be that the media/gov't and private security companies would use your fears to take your freedoms unchallenged?!
It's true that only criminals have anything to fear from surveillance, but what happens when the definition of, criminal, changes? Do you agree with every law?
But they might hack in my computer to play crisis!
^ that was a joke btw.
Don't care either way I have nothing to hide if they want to look at terabytes of porn on peoples computers go ahead.
I want the government to have access to my e-mail, bank accounts, telephone conversations, and record on camera my every move. Wait, they do! I feel so safe.
Hey, how come there's a video of me jacking off on youtube?
If there were a back door, hackers would find it and exploit it. Aren't they already reverse engineering the OS to find weaknesses? I can't see MS adding such a thing without someone finding out about it. MS would have a huge PR problem when it was found.
There would be no OS based back door.... the last thing the NSA would want is for some "bad guy" to get a hold of the information to exploit said back door and instantly have 20 million zombie PC's to do some sort of Ultimate DDoS on the entire internet, or worse yet exploit said back door for the purpose of finding the presidents or a senators secrets they keep hidden on some home PC or poisoning communications via Email.
Why is the man helping a private company? Shame on Microsoft. For such a big company you think they would have the brains and muscle to come up with security on their own.
Because "the man" will probably be using Microsoft software. Microsoft would have to meet the requirements of "the man". "The man" is a big customer. I'm pretty sure the NSA doesn't want a back door in any operating system used by any government agency. Just a thought.
BTW, one would be hard pressed to find any private organization that has the research funding and resources that "the man" has.
Sigh. That is the only answer Microsoft can give.
If there isnt a backdoor. And if there is, NSA would have made them say there isnt.
As far as whether there is a backdoor or not, I find it highly likely there is. If youve ever had a security clearance, you would not even doubt the ability of the NSA to do this if they wanted. Under the umbrella of "National Security", they are pretty much allowed to do anything.
It's called a firewall. There are no backdoors in my systems.
--inadvertently, there are backdoors in everyone's system.. maybe not for the NSA per say, and maybe we haven't found them yet but eventually some hacker will find it and exploit it. Control your traffic.
If youve ever had a security clearance, you would not even doubt the ability of the NSA to do this if they wanted.
If you have ever worked with the NSA, you would know that they don't need assistance or compliance.
what the fuck does the NSA know about secuirtym hald the 13 year olds here know more
what the fuck does the NSA know about secuirtym hald the 13 year olds here know more
I can tell you that the NSA has some of the best toys and minds in the business. They even have spellcheck!
The NSA doesn't need a backdoor into your system, if they want in, they will get in.
On the other hand, since most government agencies use MS operating systems, the NSA DOES have a strong interest in making sure those operating systems are as secure as possible.
Alot of Huppla about nothing. If this helps the FBI catch future terrorists i'm all for it, if your not doing anything majorly wrong you have nothing to worry about. IF your steeling money with your PC or useing it for terrorism activitys than maybe it's not for you. If Microsoft is telling the truth which i think they are, than it's win win for all except the hackers.
WOW
It's funny to see that a lot of you are taking this backdoor rumor as fact. Add the words Government, NSA, Security and Freedom and all the crazies come out.
The problem with conspiracy theorists is that they consider the truth to be only what they believe. If you tell them aliens don't exist they double in their conviction that you are lying to them. Show them proof and they will retort saying its fabricated. No matter what you say, it will always be a cover-up unless it falls in line with what you are saying.
Of course, I'm not naive either, but I have more important things to worry about.
... Falls in line with what THEY are saying. got distracted there.
well i would worry more about ISP's like at&t spying on your network and accessing drives.. who's to say that the isps dont have a back door they have our password and user account information.. and well microsoft makes you register with a unique cd key via the web witch would provide them with your information and not to mention your ip address. honestly i think these steps have been in place much longer than that most of us thought .. i bet as far back as windows 95 .. or 3.0 ... but then again company privacy policy .. dose not equate to security when big brother is in mind.
If you have ever worked with the NSA, you would know that they don't need assistance or compliance.
Well, yes, that is also true. But that takes time. NSA has a history of doing things like this. Look up "Lotus Notes".
Besides which, if you're really worried, you can always install a 3rd party, whole disk encryption like TrueCrypt or PGP.
Yeah, that works perfectly...
Except when the computer is turned on.
You got to love paranoia! After reading the original story, I was actually impressed that Microsoft would seek the expertise of the NSA, and it didn't even occur to me that there might be a more sinister aspect of that "partnership". The point is - I don't build bombs, I don't plan assassinations, and I don't think my rights are infringed if the NSA wants to find out what kind of porno I watch. People should stop complaining and focus on the real issues currently affecting Americans (which I am not, btw). Cheers!
I want the government to have access to my e-mail, bank accounts, telephone conversations, and record on camera my every move. Wait, they do! I feel so safe.Hey, how come there's a video of me jacking off on youtube?
Lol you record yourself jacking off?! That's hot
Well, yes, that is also true. But that takes time. NSA has a history of doing things like this. Look up "Lotus Notes".
At one time there was a lot of chatter about this, but I have not seen one single document where someone actually validated the existence of an NSA backdoor into Lotus Notes. Same as with this topic. Lot's of folks talking, but nothing to base it on.
I have access to an old Notes environment if you have something documented you would like to have verified.
Great, so now I have to wrap my PC in tinfoil too? Oh well, at least it'll match my hat.