Subj : Bad news for BitLocker users  its encryption can be cracked remar
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Fri Feb 09 2024 18:15:05

Bad news for BitLocker users  its encryption can be cracked remarkable easily

Date:
Fri, 09 Feb 2024 18:04:01 +0000

Description:
A YouTuber is showing how it can be done in less than a minute, using just a 
cheap Raspberry Pi Pico device.

FULL STORY
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If you have a Windows 10 Pro, or Windows 11 Pro device, with a dedicated 
external Trusted Platform Module (TPM), all of your encrypted data could 
easily be decrypted and read - all thats needed is a little brainpower, a $10 
Raspberry Pi Pico, and physical access to the target endpoint. 

A YouTuber with the alias stacksmashing has demonstrated what they call a 
colossal security flaw which allowed him to bypass Windows Bitlocker in less 
than a minute and gain access to the encryption keys, all with the help of 
the off-the-shelf cheap device. 

You can read up on the technicalities of the flaw and its exploit here , but 
the short story is that the communication lanes between the CPU and the 
external TPM are completely unencrypted on boot-up. So, if an attacker were 
to have an unpopulated connector on the motherboard that can read LPC bus 
data, they would be able to connect the Pico to it and have the device read 
the raw ones and zeros from the TPM. That would grant them access to the 
Volume Master Key thats stored on the module. Major oversight 

During their demonstration, stacksmashing used a ten-year-old laptop with 
Bitlocker encryption, but explained that the same method works on newer 
motherboards with an external TPM. 

The devices with a TPM built into the CPU should be safe (which includes most 
Intel and AMD CPUs for sale today). In the video, the YouTuber is seen first 
removing the back cover of a laptop with a screwdriver, before touching the 
connectors with their Pico device. At the same time, a stopwatch running on a 
smartphone showed the entire process lasting less than a minute. 

While some viewers praised stacksmashings findings, saying the tool could be 
really helpful for people who lost their encryption keys, others suggested 
that the flaw was a major oversight. 

Via The Register More from TechRadar Pro Windows 11 Pro users beware: 
Microsoft's BitLocker encryption could be seriously slowing down your PC 
Here's a list of the best firewalls around today These are the best endpoint 
security tools right now



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/bad-news-for-bitlocker-users-its-encryp
tion-can-be-cracked-remarkable-easily


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