Veracrypt project update
Significant frustration with Microsoft over unexplained developer account suspensions for critical security tools like Veracrypt and WireGuard.
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- zx2c4: This is the same problem I'm currently facing with WireGuard. No warning at all, no notification. One day I sign in to publish an update, and yikes, account suspended. Currently undergoing some sort of 60 days appeals process, but who knows. That's kind of crazy: what if there were some critical RCE in WireGuard, being exploited in the wild, and I needed to update users immediately? (That's just hypothetical; don't freak out!) In that case, Microsoft would have my hands entirely tied.<p>If anybody within Microsoft is able to do something, please contact me -- jason at zx2c4 dot com.
- pogue: They need to get some tech site like Arstechnica to write about it, like they did when neocities couldn't get ahold of bing. The only way to contact these tech companies to speak to a real human being and not a chatbot is if you know somebody who works there or if the media writes about it.
- firen777: It's like LibreOffice all over again: <a href="https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-bans-libreoffice-developers-account-without-warning-rejects-appeal/" rel="nofollow">https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-bans-libreoffice-devel...</a>
- Topfi: Honest question, did we ever get an answer what was the cause for the sudden change from the original Truecrypt developer?<p>Even if one doesn't want to maintain that project for purely private reasons, recommending Bitlocker as the drop-in-replacement always made it smell fishy to me.
- dizhn: Microsoft disabled the developer's certificate so no windows releases can be made.
- 0xCE0: Linux is the only hope at this point for the future of computing.<p>Windows and macOS are just too risky to do any business with. Waste of all resources.
- no_time: prediction: they are testing the waters. If there is enough outcry they will go "oopsie whoopsie, hehe :3 your account is restored".<p>If there isn't enough outcry they will go forward and disable more signing keys related to things like torrent clients, VPN software, eject UBO from the edge store etc etc.<p>Atleast now I'm a bit more certain that VC is indeed safe.
- shelled: I am somewhat <i>also</i> concerned that this software was still being distributed on SourceForge.
- not_a9: <a href="https://community.osr.com/t/locked-out-of-microsoft-partner-center-driver-submission-page/60061" rel="nofollow">https://community.osr.com/t/locked-out-of-microsoft-partner-...</a>
Could be a related issue to this? Maybe Microsoft just doesn’t want driver developers for whatever reason.
- ninjagoo: Looks like Linux and some of the BSDs are the only remaining truly open OSes.
- tomgag: Sorry to hear about this turn of events, but it was pretty much to be expected given the way the world is turning, and Microsoft being Microsoft.<p>Switch to Linux if you can, and come give Shufflecake a try ;)<p><a href="https://shufflecake.net/" rel="nofollow">https://shufflecake.net/</a>
- _s_a_m_: Microsoft doing everything in their power to be assholes, as always
- nixpulvis: We need a better way to sign and verify software. Clearly companies like Microsoft and Apple have not been good for the open source communities and are inhibiting innovation.
- Hizonner: This highlights the fact that not only is supporting Windows dangerous to your project, but <i>using</i> Windows is dangerous to your security.
- RandomGerm4n: That's especially ridiculous because this whole security mechanism that Microsoft is forcing on Windows user doesn't even work. There are tons of leaked certificates and on forums dedicated to game hacking you can find guides on how to get your hands on one yourself. People there use them to write kernel drivers for cheating in games. Game developers often blacklist these in their anti-cheat software so that the game no longer launches on a computer using a driver with that certificate. Microsoft however does not do this and malware developers can then simply use the certificates for their own purposes.
So all this nonsense is basically just a restriction on regular users and honest developers while the “bad guys” can get around it.