Cloud-Stored BitLocker Keys Spark Privacy Concerns

[cryptoenthusiast]

By default, Windows uploads BitLocker recovery keys to Microsoft’s cloud, allowing authorities to decrypt drives with a company-provided key. Forbes reports that Microsoft handed these keys to the FBI in a Guam fraud case involving three laptops.

Cryptography expert Matthew Green warns that if hackers gained access to Microsoft’s cloud, they could potentially retrieve recovery keys — although physical access to the drives would still be required. The case raises questions about whether cloud-stored encryption keys truly protect user privacy in 2026.