Microsoft victory protects overseas data from US warrants

For the past three years, Microsoft has been locked in a legal battle with the New York district court over a deceptively simple question: does a US Judge have the right to issue a warrant for data stored overseas? According to a new ruling from the US Court of Appeals Second Circuit, the answer, is no.

At issue, specifically, were the contents of an email account stored at a datacenter in Dublin, Ireland. Microsoft refused to release the data because the information was stored on servers physically located outside of the country. The New York court then argued that the Stored Communications Act allowed it to issue a warrant for “information that is stored on servers abroad.” The idea is that if Microsoft owns the overseas server and has the capability of accessing the data, it’s a domestic request regardless of the data storage location. Today’s decision from the Second Circuit shut that idea down.

“We conclude that Congress did not intend the SCA’s warrant provisions to apply extraterritoriality,” the 42-page decision explains. “The SCA warrant in this case may not lawfully be used to compel Microsoft to produce to the government the contents of a customer’s e-mail account stored exclusively in Ireland.”

Naturally, Microsoft is heralding the decision as a victory for privacy, stating that “if people around the world are to trust the technology they use, they need to have confidence that their personal information will be protected by the laws of their own country.” Indeed, that’s what this decision means for now, though it could still be overturned by new legislation at a later date. In fact, that could be the ultimate solution. Microsoft itself argues that the world needs “new legal solutions that reflect the world that exists today, rather than technologies that existed three decades ago.” Sounds like a good idea — so long as the folks making the law understand the technology they’re trying to legislate.

Via: Ars Technica

Source: Microsoft v. United States

Microsoft starts downgrading OneDrive’s free storage to 5GB

Heads up: if you didn’t sign up to keep the 15GB worth of OneDrive storage Microsoft gave out in 2014, you’ll soon see a big change in your account… if you haven’t yet. Redmond is not only killing your 15GB camera roll back-up bonus, it’s also slashing 10GB off your account, bringing it down to 5GB. The company started sending out emails about the change earlier this year, with a warning that your unpaid storage capacity would become even smaller than its original 7GB offering by either July 13th or July 27th.

To be fair, Microsoft gave people a chance to keep their bigger storage and camera roll bonus by opting out of the July change. If you remember signing up for that before January 31st this year, there’s no need to worry: you’ll still get to enjoy both. But if you received an email like the one below, you may want to back up your photos ASAP. Sad, but you do have a lot of other options if you need a cloud service that offers a big free storage capacity. Google Drive, for one, will give you access to 15GB upon signing up.

Ancient Windows printer flaw exposes you to malware

Security holes don’t always originate in relatively recent bugs… sometimes, they can stem from code written in an entirely different era. Researchers at Vectra Networks have discovered a roughly 20-year-old flaw in Windows Print Spooler (which oversees the printing process) that lets attackers slip malware on to a PC. As the spooler doesn’t verify that a printer’s drivers are legitimate when you plug the hardware in, it’s possible for attackers to install maliciously-coded drivers thorough either the internet or the printer itself. The exploit can not only infect numerous computers if it’s shared on a network, but keep infecting as computers discover the peripheral.

Microsoft already has a patch ready, so you’re safe if you’re using Windows Vista or later. However, the exploit also works on Windows XP and earlier, which Microsoft stopped supporting (outside of special contracts) years ago. That theoretically leaves millions of old PCs permanently vulnerable to this attack. The main saving grace: the attacker needs to attach the device to your PC or the local network. As such, the threat is mainly limited to public hotspots, loosely guarded office networks and other situations where someone could theoretically attach a rogue printer without drawing your attention.

Via: Ars Technica

Source: Vectra, Microsoft Security TechCenter

Microsoft launches Skype Meetings, a group video chat tool

Microsoft has unveiled a free HD Skype tool for small business users called Skype Meetings. It runs on a browser and will let you meet with up to 10 people for the first 60 days, and a maximum of three after that. Users can also share screens and PowerPoint presentations, and the organizer can wield a virtual “laser pointer” or mute users. Such features are already available with Skye Business, but that app requires a paid Office 365 subscription. With Skype Meetings, however, anyone with a link can join a chat.

Microsoft’s regular (free) Skype product already allows group video chat with up to 25 folks, whether on PC or mobile. There’s also new competition via Sean Parker’s Airtime and Houseparty from Meerkat, though those apps are more aimed at social, not business users. Nevertheless, those products (along with existing ones like Google Hangouts) may have prodded Redmond to release the browser app.

While Microsoft already has a web-based version of Skype in beta, it lacks the collaboration tools from Skype Meetings. That means it’s technically giving its business users the first non-beta browser version of Skype. Not surprisingly, Microsoft is using the new tool to entice users to Office 365. It points out that with Skype Business you can “conduct large group meetings for up to 250 people … and initiate an IM, audio or video conversation from within apps like Outlook, Word and PowerPoint.”