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German Government Warns Windows 8 Is an Unacceptable Security Risk
An anonymous reader writes "Die Zeit has access to leaked documents from the German government warning that Windows 8 is an unacceptable security risk for sensitive workloads. The story is written in German here, but automatic translators (such as Google Translate) do a readable job. Particularly of concern is the inability to opt out of TPM 2.0 usage."
Windows has always been a Security Risk.
Danke.
Good thing alternatives exists.
I am not advocating they should "just change". I am just saying that on a personal level I am very happy that thrustworthy alternatives exists, and that Windows (no longer) is an requirement at the workplace or at home, but just an option.
Thank you, Stallman, Linus, and all you other people around the world, who have used your time to provide us with these alternatives.
And, yes, I know some people will claim that Windows is an requirement for the specific uses you have. I don't really care - for the wast majority of computing users around the world, Windows is an option, not an requirement. And, I am happy for that.
Everything Microsoft produces. I have the misfortune of working with the MS developers on a regular basis and if I had a nickle for every time they told me they didnt know how their own software works I'd be richer than Bill Gates.
Nevermind the inherent security flaws in their crap OS, my concern, and the concern from every foreign country should be MS's willingness to work with the NSA. If ever there was a time to ditch Microsoft and go Open Source it is now.
TPM is nothing more than a hardware keystore, I'm not sure how they'd see it as a security risk unless they're worried that the NSA has the MS signing key's private key (probable) but even then it doesn't exactly give you worse security than other OS's without access to a hardware keystore.
There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
This doesn't make any sense. It's insecure because you can't NOT use TPM?
I don't respond to AC's.
If you actually had read the article, you would have seen that this is especially mentioned. Maybe the article is a little more insightful and balanced as you can imagine?
Where the BSI takes issue with their reporting.
Of course, with the extent now clear of the US government's use of US IT companies to maintain American political and economic advantages, if you were running a non-US-based company or a non-US-governmental organization, you'd want to do as much critical business with non-American hardware, software and services as possible.
One of the example searches about XKeyscore, (the NSA software that lets them do ad-hoc searches on everyone's private comms) was
"show me all new VPN connections in country X"
How does it get the VPN connection data? When I investigated Windows *7*, I notice that when a VPN connection is made by the OS, the software makes two connections, one directly to a Microsoft server bypassing the VPN and one through the VPN. Both share session ids. It seems to flag to Microsoft (and NSA) the two IP addresses (via the VPN / original un-routed VPN address).
So they're focussing on Windows 8, but Windows 7 has its share of nightmares.
Then has anyone looked at Symantec / Norton 360 etc.? With all it's "password vault" features and online URL checks. It could be the NSA has served these companies with secret warrants. So we may not be able to trust that it will flag NSA spyware, or that passwords are not making their way into the Utah Stasibase.
The BSI (Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik) published a clarification after websites reported about that Windows 8 warning: https://www.bsi.bund.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/Presse2013/Windows_TPM_Pl_21082013.html
Basically, they pedalled back a bit. They now claim they never warned about Windows 8 itself, but about possible risks when combining Windows 8 with TPM 2.0, because the user no longer has complete control over his system and that because of that, the user could end up in a situation where the system is permanently unusable. They no longer mention the US / the NSA and the possibility for backdoors, instead they now just mention the possibility of "sabotage", and the need for an opt-in AND opt-out for things like TPM 2.0.
From Wikipedia's TPM talk page in 2007:
As much as I love the NSA looking through email and phone records, I would prefer that the had to *at least* work for it. Trusted Computing (What a crock BTW) says it can be turned off, but does anyone know how? Fosnez 07:52, 13 February 2007 (UTC)
Have you seen any suspicious operating systems? Nein! I mean... 8!
Science advances one funeral at a time- Max Planck
I'd like to know when the Germans thought they had control over the operating system.
https://www.bsi.bund.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/Presse2013/Windows_TPM_Pl_21082013.html
4th paragraph translated through google:
"From the perspective of the BSI, the use of Windows 8 in combination with a TPM 2.0 is accompanied by a loss of control over the operating system and the hardware used. This result for the user, especially for the federal government and critical infrastructure, new risks. In particular, on a hardware, which is operated with a TPM 2.0, with Windows 8 caused by accidental errors of the hardware or operating system manufacturer, is also the owner of the IT system error conditions that prevent further operation of the system. This can cause such an extent that in case of error in addition to the operating system and the hardware used is permanently no longer be used. Such a situation would not be acceptable for the federal nor for other users. In addition, the newly established mechanisms can also be used for sabotage of third parties. These risks need to be addressed."
There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
The advantage of Open Source is that you or anyone else can fix the software if/when security problems are found, whether in the OS, core libraries, network stack, or any Open Source applications. We are not dependent on the original developers to make any such fixes. I have done this a couple times in the past by fixing security issues in open source code before the developer fixes were available (I could have waited a day and got the developer fixes).
Advantage of closed source - you can edit the HOSTS file and be done instead of doing all that.
This space for rent.
They could have just stopped at "Unacceptable."
Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
I think the Microsoft Account and related stuff is also quite bad privacy and security risk. Apparently 8.1 will send your searches to Microsoft in a similar way to Unity's "Amazon shopping lens". When enabled, the IE SmartScreen filter will send your browser URLs to MS. All sorts of little things here and there -- "would you like to send information to company X to improve our services". I suppose you can get rid of most of it by carefully unticking each buried checkbox, but it's getting increasingly hard to opt out of this kind of junk. What if I just want to be alerted about Patch Tuesday updates?
As a German I get regularly headaches when I'm watching Fox News or similar "news". The American news are like game shows, flashing light, CGI effects, running texts everywhere, cut screens, cut clips. It's like news for babies, like the assumed average concentration span is only 5 seconds of the viewers.
http://www.mueller-public.de - My site http://www.anr-institute.com/ - Advanced Natural Research Institute
You must be using the industry definition of "Quality", i.e. compliance with quality standards like ISO 9001. Your comment reminds me of a business plan, "Monkey Maid Service", made by an engineer friend of mine:
Step 1: Purchase a supply of monkeys, monkey housing, and monkey chow from traceable sources, documenting the origins of every piece of material involved.
Step 2: Draft a standard process for "Performing maid service" using the monkeys purchased in step 1. If I recall correctly, his rough draft of this process included "dress the monkeys in French maid costumes, then release them in the house for the period of time specified in the contract".
Step 3: Have supervision in place to ensure work performance follows documented procedure, and record performance metrics (% monkeys dressed as French maids, deviation from contract time) for auditing purposes.
Step 4: Advertize the service as ISO 9001 compliant.*
If every can of Budweiser tasting the same is your definition of quality, then sure, it's a quality product. By the way, my friend has a maid service you may be interested in using after your next party.
*I've probably missed a few crucial 9001 compliance steps; quality geeks, please don't crucify me over that ;)
"Space Exploration is not endless circles in low earth orbit." -Buzz Aldrin
If there ever are any rollbacks to NSA spying, it will be done not because of right and wrong or on Constitutional grounds, but merely due to the decline in fucking corporate profits.
Once the reprogramming has been completed the headaches will go away.
Perhaps it is the google translation but I don't understand the logic in the point being made by TFA.
I agree the world is better off without TPM or anything like it because it becomes too cheap and easy for opressive regimes to lock down computation to only approved operating systems modified to constantly monitor and snitch on the end users activities. There is also risk of PCs turning into lockdown hell that is smart phones and tablets.
Real world "secure boot" benefits to end users are questionable at best. With physical access all bets are off and an attacker could just as easily replace a motherboard as they could a disk drive.
The "freedom" arguments seem to be logically separate from trust argument being made..and this is the problem I don't understand how TPM negativly impacts trust in a vendor/OS.
It seems to me whether the operating system is booted secure or insecure you are still very much at the mercy of the underlying OS not to do shit behind your back contrary to your interests. This requires trust in the vendor and trust in the legal regime the vendor is bound by force to operate.
If you want to say MS is not trustworthy because of NSA fine. If you want to say MS is not trustworthy because it is Microsoft fine... But the TPM argument...I simply don't see the connection.
more then pci-e X4 no $30 cables, no $600 Expansion Chassis.