A critical BitLocker bypass vulnerability called YellowKey has been discovered, allowing attackers to gain unrestricted access to encrypted drives by exploiting the Windows Recovery Environment. The vulnerability works by placing specific files in the System Volume Information folder on a USB drive or EFI partition, and can be triggered during system reboot. This represents a severe security flaw in Microsoft's full-disk encryption system that could potentially expose sensitive data.
Background
BitLocker is Microsoft's full-disk encryption feature included with Windows operating systems, designed to protect data by providing encryption for entire volumes. Security researchers frequently test and discover vulnerabilities in encryption systems to help improve their robustness.
- Source
- Lobsters
- Published
- May 13, 2026 at 08:55 PM
- Score
- 8.0 / 10