• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'

2

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

3

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 

1

Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'

2

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

3

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
TechMicrosoft

Uh-oh! Microsoft Leaks ‘Golden Keys’ to Windows Devices

Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 11, 2016, 6:08 PM ET
Sunni Mosques Closed In Baghdad
BAGHDAD, IRAQ - MAY 21: An Iraqi mosque caretaker locks the gate of al-Qazaz Sunni mosque May 21, 2005 in Baghdad, Iraq. Sunnis clerics announced a closing of Sunni mosques across Baghdad in protest of killings of Sunni clerics that some have blamed on Shiite militias. (Photo by Wathiq Khuzaie/Getty Images)Wathiq Khuzaie—Getty Images

Microsoft (MSFT) messed up.

The tech giant inadvertently leaked a “backdoor” means to digitally bypass Secure Boot, a firmware component designed to keep its devices sealed. Anyone with administrator rights who possesses the “golden keys,” as security researchers have described their finding, can load whatever operating system they please—Google’s (GOOG) Android or Linux, say—onto an otherwise restricted Windows device, such as a Windows Phone, Windows RT tablet, or HoloLens.

Someone with physical access to one of these devices can also use the tool to load malicious software, such a so-called rootkit, onto it, giving that person full control over the system. (It’s worth noting that Windows PCs and servers are typically not locked with Secure Boot.)

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

The security researchers who uncovered the code—they go by the aliases “MY123” and “Slipstream”—appear to have found it idly preloaded onto Microsoft devices, as The Register reports. Microsoft presumably designed the tool for internal debugging purposes, so that its engineers could circumvent the usual operating system checks that normally confirm whether a system is booting with Redmond-approved software. It was a short-cut for developers, in other words.

You can read the pair’s jarringly presented write-up here. Be warned that it includes twitchy graphics and blaring chiptune music. Or if you prefer a more readable version, you can peruse this text-only version on Pastebin.

For more on Microsoft technology accidents, watch:

“You can see how this is very bad!!” wrote Slipstream, author of the post. “A backdoor, which MS put in to secure boot because they decided to not let the user turn it off in certain devices, allows for secure boot to be disabled everywhere!”

The hacker continued on a policy soapbox, haranguing the Federal Bureau of Investigation for advocating that tech companies grant law enforcement “backdoor” access to their products. The so-called encryption debate that Slipstream alludes to was on full display earlier this year when the FBI duked it out with Apple (AAPL) in a fight to gain access to a deceased terrorist’s iPhone.

“This is a perfect real world example about why your idea of backdooring cryptosystems with a ‘secure golden key’ is very bad!” he said. (The hackers’ finding, for what its worth, has less to do with encryption than it has to do with “backdoors” generally.)

According to Slipstream, the researchers reported the vulnerability to Microsoft in March. The company, after apparently dismissing their work initially, paid them a bug bounty reward and issued a patch (MS16-094) a few months later.

Here’s Why Apple Is Going To War Over FBI ‘Backdoor’ Order

But that wasn’t the end of the story. The pair then demonstrated how to bypass that fix, forcing Microsoft to issue another patch this month (MS16-100)—and even that may not be enough to solve the problem.

The hackers appear to be convinced that the issue will persist, despite Microsoft’s best efforts. It would “be impossible in practise [sic] for MS to revoke every bootmgr”—the code that guides the earliest stages of a computer’s startup sequence— Slipstream wrote, “as they’d break install media, recovery partitions, backups, etc.”

A Microsoft spokesperson provided Fortune with a statement downplaying the risk: “The jailbreak technique described in the researchers’ report on August 10 does not apply to desktop or enterprise PC systems. It requires physical access and administrator rights to ARM and RT devices and does not compromise encryption protections.”

Stay tuned—another patch is expected next month.

About the Author
Robert Hackett
By Robert Hackett
Instagram iconLinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Kevin Warsh, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee for Chair of the Federal Reserve, departs following his Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on April 21, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Big TechMarkets
Wall Street has pretty much written off the idea of a Fed rate cut at Kevin Warsh’s first meeting
By Eleanor PringleMay 22, 2026
2 minutes ago
IBM CEO Arvind Krishna (right) and U.S. President Donald Trump in the White House on December 10, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
NewslettersFortune Tech
U.S. will award $2 billion in grants to nine quantum computing companies—and take equity stakes
By Andrew NuscaMay 22, 2026
25 minutes ago
himanshu
CommentaryLayoffs
I’ve led companies through every major tech disruption. AI washing is the same mistake, every time
By Himanshu PalsuleMay 22, 2026
2 hours ago
cowen
Future of Workdisruption
Top economist Tyler Cowen on the biggest problem of the AI age: not mass unemployment but adjusting to a new reality
By Nick LichtenbergMay 22, 2026
4 hours ago
‘It’s crazy’: SpaceX could set records as the least shareholder-friendly public company of all time
Investingfinances
‘It’s crazy’: SpaceX could set records as the least shareholder-friendly public company of all time
By Shawn TullyMay 22, 2026
4 hours ago
dario
Startups & VentureAnthropic
Inside the fraud-ripe feeding frenzy to snag Anthropic shares while the company remains private
By Allie GarfinkleMay 22, 2026
4 hours ago

Most Popular

Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'
Success
Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'
By Preston ForeMay 20, 2026
2 days ago
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
20 hours ago
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
Workplace Culture
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
By Preston ForeMay 19, 2026
3 days ago
Pay transparency is exposing a bigger problem: Most companies can't explain why they pay what they pay
Workplace Culture
Pay transparency is exposing a bigger problem: Most companies can't explain why they pay what they pay
By Sydney LakeMay 20, 2026
2 days ago
A 'proudly autistic' workplace expert says putting neurodivergent employees in a typical office is like dropping a polar bear in Austin, Texas
Conferences
A 'proudly autistic' workplace expert says putting neurodivergent employees in a typical office is like dropping a polar bear in Austin, Texas
By Tristan BoveMay 20, 2026
2 days ago
Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
Future of Work
Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
By Mike Householder and The Associated PressMay 17, 2026
5 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.