NSA reaaly does have an "in" to Windoze

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NSA reaaly does have an "in" to Windoze

Anonymous via Panta Rhei

01-16-07 06:12 PM



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From http://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/5/5263/1.html

How NSA access was built into Windows
=======================
Duncan Campbell 04.09.1999
Careless mistake reveals subversion of Windows by NSA.

A CARELESS mistake by Microsoft programmers has revealed that special
access codes prepared by the US National Security Agency have been secretly
built into Windows. The NSA access system is built into every version of
the Windows operating system now in use, except early releases of Windows
95 (and its predecessors). The discovery comes close on the heels of the
revelations earlier this year that another US software giant, Lotus, had
built an NSA "help information" [local] trapdoor into its Notes system, 
and
that security functions on other software systems had been deliberately
crippled.

The first discovery of the new NSA access system was made two years ago by
British researcher Dr Nicko van Someren. But it was only a few weeks ago
when a second researcher rediscovered the access system. With it, he found
the evidence linking it to NSA.

Computer security specialists have been aware for two years that unusual
features are contained inside a standard Windows software "driver" used for
security and encryption functions. The driver, called ADVAPI.DLL, enables
and controls a range of security functions. If you use Windows, you will
find it in the C:\Windows\system directory of your computer.

ADVAPI.DLL works closely with Microsoft Internet Explorer, but will only
run crypographic functions that the US governments allows Microsoft to
export. That information is bad enough news, from a European point of view.
Now, it turns out that ADVAPI will run special programmes inserted and
controlled by NSA. As yet, no-one knows what these programmes are, or what
they do.

Dr Nicko van Someren reported at last year's Crypto 98 conference that he
had disassembled the ADVADPI driver. He found it contained two different
keys. One was used by Microsoft to control the cryptographic functions
enabled in Windows, in compliance with US export regulations. But the
reason for building in a second key, or who owned it, remained a mystery.

A second key
-----------

Two weeks ago, a US security company came up with conclusive evidence that
the second key belongs to NSA. Like Dr van Someren, Andrew Fernandez, chief
scientist with Cryptonym of Morrisville, North Carolina, had been probing
the presence and significance of the two keys. Then he checked the latest
Service Pack release for Windows NT4, [extern] Service Pack 5. He found
that Microsoft's developers had failed to remove or "strip" the debugging
symbols used to test this software before they released it. Inside the code
were the labels for the two keys. One was called "KEY". The other was
called "NSAKEY".

Fernandes reported his re-discovery of the two CAPI keys, and their secret
meaning, to "Advances in Cryptology, Crypto'99" conference held in Santa
Barbara. According to those present at the conference, Windows developers
attending the conference did not deny that the "NSA" key was built into
their software. But they refused to talk about what the key did, or why it
had been put there without users' knowledge.

A third key?!
----------

But according to two witnesses attending the conference, even Microsoft's
top crypto programmers were astonished to learn that the version of
ADVAPI.DLL shipping with Windows 2000 contains not two, but three keys.
Brian LaMachia, head of CAPI development at Microsoft was "stunned" to
learn of these discoveries, by outsiders. The latest discovery by Dr van
Someren is based on advanced search methods which test and report on the
"entropy" of programming code.

Within the Microsoft organisation, access to Windows source code is said to
be highly compartmentalized, making it easy for modifications to be
inserted without the knowledge of even the respective product managers.

Researchers are divided about whether the NSA key could be intended to let
US government users of Windows run classified cryptosystems on their
machines or whether it is intended to open up anyone's and everyone's
Windows computer to intelligence gathering techniques deployed by NSA's
burgeoning corps of "information warriors".

According to Fernandez of Cryptonym, the result of having the secret key
inside your Windows operating system "is that it is tremendously easier for
the NSA to load unauthorized security services on all copies of Microsoft
Windows, and once these security services are loaded, they can effectively
compromise your entire operating system". The NSA key is contained inside
all versions of Windows from Windows 95 OSR2 onwards.

"For non-American IT managers relying on Windows NT to operate highly
secure data centres, this find is worrying", he added. "The US government
is currently making it as difficult as possible for "strong" crypto to be
used outside of the US. That they have also installed a cryptographic
back-door in the world's most abundant operating system should send a
strong message to foreign IT managers".

"How is an IT manager to feel when they learn that in every copy of Windows
sold, Microsoft has a 'back door' for NSA - making it orders of magnitude
easier for the US government to access your computer?" he asked.

Can the loophole be turned round against the snoopers?
----------------------------------------------

Dr van Someren feels that the primary purpose of the NSA key inside Windows
may be for legitimate US government use. But he says that there cannot be a
legitimate explanation for the third key in Windows 2000 CAPI. "It looks
more fishy", he said.

Fernandez believes that NSA's built-in loophole can be turned round against
the snoopers. The NSA key inside CAPI can be replaced by your own key, and
used to sign cryptographic security modules from overseas or unauthorised
third parties, unapproved by Microsoft or the NSA. This is exactly what the
US government has been trying to prevent. A demonstration "how to do it"
program that replaces the NSA key can be found on Cryptonym's [extern]
website.

According to one leading US cryptographer, the IT world should be thankful
that the subversion of Windows by NSA has come to light before the arrival
of CPUs that handles encrypted instruction sets. These would make the type
of discoveries made this month impossible. "Had the next-generation CPU's
with encrypted instruction sets already been deployed, we would have never
found out about NSAKEY."
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