Just one more reason not to run Windows on your computer.

[Nightcrawler]

It's long been assumed that Microsoft has built in various "backdoors" for law enforcement to get around its own security, but now reader Kevin Stapp writes in to let us know that the company has also been literally handing out the keys to law enforcement. Apparently, they're giving out special USB keys that simply get around Microsoft's security, allowing the holder of the key to very quickly get forensic information (including internet surfing history), passwords and supposedly encrypted data off of a laptop. While you can understand why police like this, the very fact that the backdoor is there and that a bunch of these USB keys are out there pretty much guarantees that those with nefarious intent also have such keys. The second you build in such backdoors, no matter how noble the reason, you can rest assured that they will be used by criminals as well. No matter what, for those of you who didn't already know it, now you have more evidence as to why trusting Microsoft's "security" isn't such a good idea.

[FrozenIpaq]

Such backdoors I don't think necessarily exist. There are ways to get passwords and surfing history without the need of backdooring anything. If the user has unadequate protection then they could be easily targeted..without the need of physical access to the computer which these supposed keys require.

If I were to get a hold of a friend's computer I could tell you their surfing history and most likely some of their passwords. The part of getting encrypted data off of a laptop..that's easy, they are encrypted and can easily be moved - unencrypting them isn't impossible either