Back in May, we learned that security researchers found a vulnerability in Windows’ BitLocker encryption system. This vulnerability enabled bad actors to completely bypass the encryption if they got their hands on your PC long enough to plug in a USB drive and reboot the machine.
The exploit, codenamed YellowKey, is a glaring weakness in an encryption system that’s been built into Windows since the days of Vista. Microsoft has since published guidance on how to guard against the exploit (in short, make sure you use a PIN) as well as an interim security fix while it works on a more permanent solution, but for the moment BitLocker seems cooked.
If you use BitLocker, you should know about this, but you shouldn’t necessarily stop using it—yet.
As PCWorld’s Alaina Yee succinctly points out over on our TikTok channel, the truth is that even if your laptop gets stolen the bad guys probably aren’t going to bother trying cutting-edge exploits to crack the encryption and access your data. No, odds are much better that if your machine gets nabbed it’s going to get wiped and resold for a quick buck.
But if you have files you’re really concerned about keeping private (like that folder full of cat pics), remember that you can follow Microsoft’s guidance by turning on the “Require startup PIN with TPM” option. This requires you to set a PIN and enter it in every time you reboot the machine. It also ensures that any bad guys that try to YellowKey your PC will have to figure out the PIN before they can get in.
More importantly, remember that you have other options when it comes to encrypting your files. As Alaina points out, you’re not locked into using BitLocker alone; you can use third-party encryption tools like VeraCrypt to encrypt files and folders that you want to protect from prying eyes.
For more guidance on what BitLocker is and how to better secure your PC using it and other tools, check out our Windows BitLocker newbie guide and subscribe to Alaina’s killer Safe Mode newsletter!
