Microsoft Patent Application Describes ‘Secure’ Unlocking of Encrypted Data

Though encrypting data is “relatively simple” using established “mechanisms,” unlocking encrypted data “in the recovery environment is often difficult and sometimes not possible using current techniques,” said a Microsoft patent application published Thursday at the Patent and Trademark Office. Application 20180357412, filed Aug. 21 and naming six Microsoft inventors, describes techniques to “facilitate” the “secure” unlocking and recovery of encrypted data. A consumer device can use “credentials” associated with an authorized user to obtain a “recovery password to unlock keys for interpreting the encrypted volumes,” it said: The device can use a shortened recovery password “in conjunction with anti-hammering capabilities of a Trusted Platform Module in order to unlock keys for interpreting the encrypted volumes.” Friday, the company didn’t comment.