A story this week in Germany’s Zeit claimed that a leaked government document warned against using Windows 8, as it was not secure and had a feature that would potentially allow Microsoft a ‘backdoor’ into any PC. However, it seems this was a fanciful claim made from what was actually quite sensible advice about using a new operating system.
The original story claimed that a combination of Windows 8 and a small ‘trusted chip’ found in many new computers could make it easier for Microsoft or government agencies to access those computers. This was not the intention of the report.
The report, by Germany’s Office for Information Security, explained the risks that Windows 8 poses, but does not conclude that those risks mean America’s NSA or indeed the Chinese government would be able to take control of computers. The report argues that any new system has potential risks, from bugs that have not been ironed out yet, to new systems that IT operators are not yet used to.
While various agencies will try to spy on governments through computers, no one is seriously suggesting this is a feature built-in to Windows 8, as suggested by the original Zeit story, which was picked up by Reddit readers.
No operating system is 100% secure, which is the essence of the Germany’s Office for Information Security’s report, and that is sound advice.
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