Microsoft has announced changes to its controversial ‘Recall’ feature following a flood of criticism over potential security and data privacy risks.
In a post to the firm’s blog, Pavan Davuluri, VP for Windows and devices, shared an update after initially causing upset with the tool’s ability to screenshot potentially sensitive information.
“Even before making Recall available to customers, we have heard a clear signal that we can make it easier for people to choose to enable Recall on their Copilot+ PC and improve privacy and security safeguards,” Davuluri said.
To do this, Microsoft has said that it will give users a clearer opt-in choice which, unless proactively chosen, will render the tool turned off by default. Microsoft originally stated that the feature would be off by default.
Windows Hello enrollment will now be required to enable the feature, while proof of presence will be required to access the timelines and search features within Recall.
On top of that, Microsoft will be adding additional layers of data protection to the tool, such as “just in time” decryption which is protected by Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS).
This means that images captured by Recall will only be decrypted and accessible when the user authenticates, while the search index database which helps power Recall will also be encrypted.
“In line with Microsoft’s SFI principles, before the preview release of Recall to customers, we are taking steps to increase data protection,” Davuluri said.
Davuluri also stressed that the devices built with Recall, its new Copilot+ PCs, will be “secure by default” and fitted with firmware safeguards, chip-to-cloud security, and ESS.
Microsoft’s hand forced over Windows Recall
Windows Recall was first unveiled by Microsoft at its annual 'Build' conference in May, with the tech giant announcing the move alongside the launch of its new Copilot+ PC range.
Initially dubbed a “security nightmare” by Kevin Beaumont, director of emerging threats at the Arcadia Group, Microsoft has come under serious flack over Recall, with many in the cyber security community angry at the obvious risks.
While Beaumont stated that the feature will “undoubtedly lead to increased fraud,” the UK’s Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) announced that it was probing the matter further via inquiries with Microsoft.
RELATED WHITEPAPER
“Attackers continue to prove that initial access to a system is often the lesser challenge within the attack chain when compared to persistence, the elevation of privileges, and lateral movement,” Douglas McKee, Executive Director at SonicWall, told ITPro.
“Yet with Microsoft Recall, initial access is all that is needed to potentially steal sensitive information such as passwords or company trade secrets,” he added.
-
Security experts issue warning over the rise of 'gray bot' AI web scrapersNews While not malicious, the bots can overwhelm web applications in a way similar to bad actors
-
Does speech recognition have a future in business tech?Once a simple tool for dictation, speech recognition is being revolutionized by AI to improve customer experiences and drive inclusivity in the workforce
-
So long, Defender VPN: Microsoft is scrapping the free-to-use privacy tool over low uptakeNews Defender VPN, Microsoft's free virtual private network, is set for the scrapheap, so you might want to think about alternative services.
-
Hackers are on a huge Microsoft 365 password spraying spree – here’s what you need to knowNews A botnet made up of 130,000 compromised devices has been conducting a huge password spraying campaign targeting Microsoft 365 accounts.
-
Everything you need to know about the Microsoft Power Pages vulnerabilityNews A severe Microsoft Power Pages vulnerability has been fixed after cyber criminals were found to have been exploiting unpatched systems in the wild.
-
Microsoft is increasing payouts for its Copilot bug bounty programNews Microsoft has expanded the bug bounty program for its Copilot lineup, boosting payouts and adding coverage of WhatsApp and Telegram tools.
-
Hackers are using this new phishing technique to bypass MFANews Microsoft has warned that a threat group known as Storm-2372 has altered its tactics using a specific ‘device code phishing’ technique to bypass MFA and steal access tokens.
-
A new phishing campaign is exploiting Microsoft’s legacy ADFS identity solution to steal credentials and bypass MFANews Researchers at Abnormal Security have warned of a new phishing campaign targeting Microsoft's Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) secure access system.
-
Hackers are using Microsoft Teams to conduct “email bombing” attacksNews Experts told ITPro that tactics like this are on the rise, and employees must be trained effectively
-
Microsoft files suit against threat actors abusing AI services
News Cyber criminals are accused of using stolen credentials for an illegal hacking as a service operation
