bitlocker

  1. Secure Boot Certificate Updates: 2011 to 2023 Trust Change (June–Oct 2026)

    Microsoft is replacing the original 2011 Secure Boot certificate chain across Windows PCs and servers before certificates begin expiring in June 2026 and continue expiring into October, affecting supported Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server systems that still trust those aging boot...
  2. YellowKey BitLocker Bypass: CVE-2026-45585 WinRE Mitigation & TPM+PIN Guidance

    Microsoft acknowledged the publicly disclosed YellowKey BitLocker bypass on May 20, 2026, assigning it CVE-2026-45585 and publishing mitigations for affected Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025 systems rather than a full security update. The company’s response is technically useful, but it also...
  3. CVE-2026-45585 BitLocker WinRE Bypass: Offline Fix by Editing BootExecute

    Microsoft has published CVE-2026-45585 as a Windows BitLocker security feature bypass vulnerability, with mitigation guidance that tells administrators to mount each device’s Windows Recovery Environment image, remove an autofstx.exe entry from WinRE’s BootExecute registry value, commit the...
  4. How to Build a Microsoft-Minimized Windows 11 Setup (2026 Local, Clean & Calm)

    Windows 11 can still be configured in 2026 as a mostly local, Microsoft-minimized desktop, but doing so now means deliberately working around setup defaults, replacing cloud hooks, disabling promotions, and accepting that Microsoft may close some of those exits in future builds. The interesting...
  5. KB5089549 & Windows 11 Secure Boot: BitLocker Fix, EFI Space Warning

    Microsoft’s May 12, 2026 Windows 11 security update KB5089549 fixes a BitLocker recovery problem caused by April boot-file changes, but Microsoft added a May 15 warning that some PCs with cramped EFI System Partitions may fail installation with error 0x800f0922. That is the most Windows update...
  6. KB5089549 Fixes Windows 11 BitLocker Recovery Prompt Bug for 24H2/25H2

    Microsoft’s May 12, 2026 Windows 11 update KB5089549 fixes a BitLocker recovery prompt bug for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 systems, after April’s security update could send certain enterprise-managed encrypted devices into recovery on first restart. The fix matters because BitLocker failures are...
  7. KB5089549 Fixes Windows 11 BitLocker Recovery Bug After April Updates (PCR7/TPM)

    Microsoft fixed a Windows 11 BitLocker recovery bug on May 12, 2026, after April’s security updates caused some managed PCs to ask for recovery keys at first reboot when they used a specific, discouraged TPM validation Group Policy configuration. The narrowness of the bug is the point, not an...
  8. YellowKey BitLocker Bypass: How WinRE Unlocks Encrypted Drives on Windows 11

    Nightmare-Eclipse released YellowKey on May 12, 2026, a public proof-of-concept that reportedly bypasses BitLocker on affected Windows 11, Windows Server 2022, and Windows Server 2025 systems by abusing Windows Recovery Environment behavior to unlock encrypted drives without the user’s recovery...
  9. Windows 11 May 2026 Patch Tuesday: KB5089549 and KB5087420 Secure Boot, BitLocker

    Microsoft released Windows 11 cumulative updates KB5089549 and KB5087420 on May 12, 2026, moving versions 25H2 and 24H2 to builds 26200.8457 and 26100.8457, and version 23H2 to build 22631.7079, across its regular Patch Tuesday servicing channels. The headline is security, but the story is...
  10. Windows 10 KB5087544 (May 2026): Secure Boot Status, ESU Rules, BitLocker Checks

    Microsoft released Windows 10 KB5087544 on May 12, 2026, as the May Patch Tuesday cumulative security update for Windows 10 22H2 ESU systems, raising supported 22H2 machines to build 19045.7291 and adding new Secure Boot status reporting in the Windows Security app. The update is not a feature...
  11. KB5089549 Patch Tuesday: Secure Boot Cert Readiness for Windows 11 24H2/25H2

    Microsoft released KB5089549 on May 12, 2026, as the monthly cumulative security update for Windows 11 versions 25H2 and 24H2, moving systems to OS builds 26200.8457 and 26100.8457 while bundling security fixes, servicing-stack changes, and selected reliability improvements. The update looks...
  12. Khadas Mind 2 BIOS Update Triggers BitLocker Recovery Loop on Windows 11

    On May 10, 2026, CNX Software published a first-person account of a Khadas Mind 2 BIOS update that turned a five-minute Windows 11 firmware job into a two-hour BitLocker recovery detour. The story is not remarkable because BitLocker reacted to a firmware change; that is exactly what it is...
  13. Windows 11 April 2026 Update: Extra Reboots Explained by Secure Boot Certificate Refresh

    If a Windows 11 PC restarts two or three times while installing the April 2026 update or later cumulative updates, Microsoft says the likely cause is a Secure Boot certificate refresh being applied during Windows Update, not a failing motherboard, broken SSD, or botched installation. That...
  14. Windows 11 Extra Restart in Spring 2026: Secure Boot 2023 Certificate Update

    Microsoft has confirmed that some Windows 11 PCs may restart more than once while installing recent and upcoming updates in spring 2026 because Windows is applying Secure Boot 2023 certificate changes before older 2011 certificates begin expiring in June 2026. That is the plain answer to the...
  15. Windows 11 KB5083769 BSOD Panic: What’s Real, Known Issues, and How to Respond

    The online panic around Windows 11 KB5083769 is a useful reminder that not every frightening Patch Tuesday headline reflects a real-world emergency. Microsoft’s April 14, 2026 cumulative update for Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2 has confirmed known issues, but the available evidence does not...
  16. KB5083769 April 2026 Windows 11: BitLocker Recovery Prompt and Boot Loop Reports

    The April 2026 Windows 11 Patch Tuesday release has turned into another uncomfortable test of trust between Microsoft and its users. KB5083769, released for Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2, is now associated with a confirmed BitLocker recovery prompt on some machines and a separate wave of...
  17. KB5083769 Windows 11 April 2026: BitLocker Recovery Prompts & Multiple Reboots

    Microsoft’s April 2026 Windows 11 cumulative update, KB5083769, is shaping up to be one of those Patch Tuesday releases that looks routine on paper but still manages to unsettle administrators and consumers in practice. Microsoft has now confirmed a BitLocker recovery prompt issue affecting a...
  18. Pause BitLocker Before BIOS or Firmware Updates in Windows 10/11

    Pause BitLocker Before BIOS or Firmware Updates in Windows 10/11 Difficulty: Intermediate | Time Required: 15 minutes Updating your PC’s BIOS, UEFI firmware, TPM firmware, or certain device firmware can improve stability, security, and hardware compatibility. But if BitLocker is protecting your...
  19. KB5083769 & KB5082052: BitLocker Recovery Prompt After April 2026 Patch Tuesday Fix

    A fresh April 2026 Patch Tuesday fix from Microsoft has solved one problem while briefly creating another for a small but important slice of Windows fleets. The company’s latest Windows 11 cumulative updates, KB5083769 for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 and KB5082052 for Windows 11 26H1, can trigger...
  20. KB5082200 for Windows 10 ESU: Secure Boot, RDP phishing, Sign-in Fixes

    Microsoft’s KB5082200 update is another sign that Windows 10 is now living on a carefully managed extended-support runway. Released on April 14, 2026, the patch is aimed at Windows 10 ESU, Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021, and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021, with builds 19045.7184 and...