Microsoft denies that Windows 7 has a back door
A MICROSOFT SPOKESVOLE has denied fears that the US National Security Agency (NSA) placed surveillance technology into Windows 7.
"Microsoft has not and will not put 'backdoors' into Windows," a company spokeswoman said in a statement to Computerworld.
A NSA official told a Senate subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security on Monday that it had worked with the Vole during its creation of Windows 7 "to enhance Microsoft's operating system security."
The worry is that if the NSA was involved with the development of Windows 7 it might have put "backdoors" into Microsoft's code that would help it track users and intercept users' communications.
Since no one outside Microsoft except a few secretive government agencies and very large corporate customers can review its Windows 7 source code, most people simply have to take the Vole's word that there are no intentionally built-in security holes in it.
The executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Marc Rotenberg said that he was concerned that Microsoft might not have been able to turn the agency's assistance down, as the US federal government is an important customer.
He questioned whether the NSA should participate in OS development at all. "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 email.
But Microsoft claims that there is no cause for concern. The spokeswoman went on to say that the NSA's contribution was purely in conjunction with the Security Compliance Management Toolkit, which was rolled out last month.
Well that's alright then. µ
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I find it very hard to imagine that the NSA would help MS in a way it would make it harder for them to get access to a computer.
They would at least made sure that the existing MS backdoors stay open.
Ans it would be stupid of MS to say there is a backdoor if they know that no one can prove it.
I have kept a deep suspicion of Microsoft and Bill Gates since they got off so easily on appeal after their convictions in a lower court.
Backdoor or not there is really no privacy for anyone with Internet access.
I still sleep well at night because other than legitimate love relations, not a crime so no agency would ever care, I have nothing to hide from anyone.
Stalin, just because I don't have anything to hide doesn't mean that it's any of their business either. If it is their business, they can get a warrant.
Stalin;
If you sleep well at night, you are deluding yourself,if you think that the 'Stasi' government in the UK doesn't worry about you.
That's the very reason it reads your email,records your telephone calls,snoops on your bank accounts,uses countless thousands of CCTV's,manned by the Queens constabulary,'loses' pewrsonal databanks,which are the state' responsibility,what is not lost it exports to the homeland security of the USA,wants you on a hospital database & wants all the english sheep like you to have ID cards & when that is accomplished, it wants to microchip every newborn infant.
The ONLY exemptions to the above, are the MILLIONS of ILLEGAL immigrants to this country & the those true blue vermin, the Windsors of Fuckingham Palace.
Why have one when there is a doorman?
Not a "back door" but a "black door".
But I thought that they always had participated on the development; since Windows XP.
You people *really* need to get out more. And maybe read a history book or two.
Even assuming todays government is squeaky clean - an assumption I personally would never make - what about tomorrows?
What about the US government, since its *they* who will be spying on you, not your own?
What about the chinese or the russians when they crack the backdoors?
Fools.
Backdoor in the OS or not there is no privacy on the Internet. Can you trust your Anti Virus? Your Security Suite? Your Encryption? Your Browser? etc.....
None of us have privacy so it doesn't help to worry about it but it does help not to have anything to hide (at least not on our computers).
The Data is collected but without the courts to allow extreme misuse then the Data serves the agencies nothing.
When governments are in place who can completely circumvent the courts THEN we are in trouble but then it will be our own doing for not having stopped it in the first place.
No agency cares about who I slept with an hour ago. They don't care if I'm angry with my Aunte Meme either.......they might not like my Cuban Girlfriend but then again I wouldn't be stupid enough to speak about her on the Internet if I were a Yank (which I'm not).
that I have heard similar denials before and the liars got retroactive immunity.
Of course there is a back door there.
Ever hear of "Trusted Computing"?
Specifically TTP or "Trusted Third Party"?
Well if you haven't then do some research on it.
A set of back door keys can be issued to a trusted third party granting them entrance into any system.
Microsoft has been at this and working closely with American intelligence agencies on this since 2005 and even before.
And of course they will deny it because they don't want the general public knowing anything about it.
After all, it's no good if people aren't using it.
This is a link to some postings by Ellen Messmer of Network World, dating back to July 20, 1998 about the NSA involvement in software development.
http://jya.com/nsa-lsa.htm
And yet they claim that it's not true.
Like I have said before, all Microsoft does is lie about everything.
...when there are so many:
- side doors,
- top doors,
- bottom doors,
- front doors,
and countless "open windows" in all versions of Windows to keep hackers (and NSA agents) happy and contentedly/constantly invading the OS to the detriment of all Microsoft customers?
NTFS MFT stores every file location anyways, and "erased" data is easily recovered for inspection.
And, instead of meddling with a commercial product to allegedly improve the security of NSA systems, why not just modify/customize a version of Linux (something that allows them to actually know what is happening "under the hood").
The "land of the free" has turned into a misnomer, and lines like "I ain't no terrorist, I got nuthin to hide" just show how the foolish American public bought Bush's invasion of their privacy and freedom hook line and sinker. I didn't think Bush could read, but apparently someone read George Orwell aloud to him at one point or another. Hopefully Obama can/will stop this madness.
Apparently the RIAA/MPAA also can access data on your nice shiny Windows computer, so I think there must be a collection of phone-home back doors that Microsoft sold to the highest bidders (in addition to cooperating with Big Media to incorporate constant DRM-scanning and non-compliance notifications (which may very well "phone home" to these bidders) into Vista and Windows 7.
Yes, Microsoft wants your money, but doesn't seem to respect any of their customers' rights to privacy, security, or freedom in exchange for this money.
ever since MS was let off the hook for being a monopolist when they were being sued by all those States and the FEDS. The secret deal was to give the FEDS a back door and we let you go, it's that simple.
This comment submitted using Linux
Looks like the big fat liars are getting a run for their money, oh, I'm sorry, I misspoke, they are getting a run with the public's money. The FAT liars keep drumming that “Change is Good”, funny, or not so funny really, since the Garden of Eden that ancient far most “Change” that didn't change since! The liar of them all, just had his knickers in a knot to introduce “Change” on the first TWO subject!?
A Terrible injustice similar to “Tanks for assuming my opinion on who really died for me and sending troops to their deaths “Here is the clincher:” “BEFORE I WAS EVER BORN!”
Later, that liar again said these words [nutshell] “For a [Change] why don't you let me make your follower[s] experience a living nightmare to prove MY point!” Again that word “Change”!
The back doors that fright, are nothing to the unsubtle name of the OS itself, where “windows” by name can equally be used to look in than to look out!
Just turn off your darn computer and don't go where lures will bait you. Works for me!
Nothing, and I mean nothing under human fingers will ever change!
... how truthful and reliable Microsoft's claims are.
For a directionally challenged corporation like Microsoft, this type denial is a confession pure and simple.
Sure it doesn't. How many different ways or services does it use to transfer information about your computer to Microsoft's Home servers wether it asks for your permission or not. Remember the update that came out a couple of years ago that told you it was going to update your computer anytime. just examples.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/09/29/stallman_withdraws_apple_backdoor_claim/
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/mac-osx-mistakes-and-malfeatures
... Doors included!
Backdoor or not windows is still the most supported gaming platform and thats ALL i use it for! Besides Its not like I care really... Mass virus or apocalypse of windows be damned! I have LiveCD's and I'm sure as Hell ( /prays) ISP's aren't stupid enough to use windows so yay!!!
It's called windows, people. What does that tell you?
In this hand I have a floppydisk with a little piece of code on it, that we'd like you to insert in the next version. In the other hand, I have a nasty big anti-trust suite, that I can make go away. Seems you need to make a decision, Mr Gates.
Nobody believe conspiracy theories any more. That's because 99.99% of them are bogus. Why would MS put a hole in Windows 7 anyway? Just to look dumb? They've got other ways to do that. Gees.
Agreed, anyone who believes a denial by a large multinational or a government deserves their own fate.
Hopefully they learned from the whole WinXP NSAKEY debacle and didn't label it this time.
Good job NSA! more reasons to regular folks to switch to Ubuntu or other linux distribution.
It's true games are best on windows. You wanna best protection :
Peerblock (source code available)
Truecrypt for file based containers
Diskcrypt for partitions (source code available)
Firefox (self compiled or public mod)
Thor network for browsing
Anyone with other ideas ???
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSAKEY
Microsoft also denies Windows 7 increases the size of your sexual organs and makes you luckier at picking winning lottery numbers. Go ahead, ask them. They'll deny it, EXACTLY like they deny this!
There is no backdoor, but the frontdoor is wide open for years now... ;-)
Do you hate Windows's backdoors? Then just compile your own linux distro using the source codes... as simple as that.
it would be much easer to Put one in a "Hot FIX" under the headding Keep u r Pc More Secure , and let users Down load it them Self's
No need for a conspiracy theory, really. If you want to be found, go online.
Where it might be scary is if such a backdoor simply key-captures, timestamps w IP and uploads. It would be like Windows 7 introduced cloud computing under everyone's collective nose... the entire cloud of computers all sitting within NSA confines.
Oh, stop thinking you were free...