After all, Windows won’t take screenshots of everything you do – unless you opt in

Microsoft says it’s making its new Recall feature in Windows 11, which screenshots everything you do on your PC, an optional feature and one that addresses several security concerns. The software giant first revealed the Recall feature as part of its upcoming Copilot Plus PCs last month, but since then, privacy advocates and security experts have warned that Recall could be a “disaster” for cybersecurity without changes.

Fortunately, Microsoft has heard the complaints and is making a number of changes ahead of the launch of Copilot Plus PCs on June 18th. Microsoft originally planned to turn on Recall by default, but the company now says it will offer the ability to disable the controversial AI-powered feature during the setup process for new Copilot Plus PCs. “If you don’t proactively choose to enable it, it will be disabled by default,” says Windows boss Pavan Davuluri.

Microsoft will also require Windows Hello to enable Recall, so you can authenticate with your face, fingerprint, or using a PIN. “In addition, proof of presence is also required to view your timeline and search Recall,” says Davuluri, so someone will not be able to start searching your timeline without first authenticating themselves.

This authentication will also apply to data protection around snapshots created by Recall. “We are adding additional layers of data protection, including ‘just in time’ decryption protected by Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS) so that Recall snapshots are only decrypted and accessible when the user authenticates,” explains Davuluri. “Additionally, we encrypted the search index database.”

Recall uses local AI models to capture images of almost everything you see or do on your computer, then gives you the ability to search and retrieve anything in seconds. An explorable timeline lets you easily scroll through these snapshots to remember what you did on a given day on your PC. Everything in Recall is designed to stay local and private on the device, so no data is used to train Microsoft’s AI models.

Microsoft’s changes to the way the database is stored and accessed come after cybersecurity expert Kevin Beaumont discovered that Microsoft’s AI-based feature currently stores data in a database in plain text. This could have made it easier for malware authors to create tools that extracted the database and its contents. Several tools have emerged in recent days promising to exfiltrate data from Recall.

TotalRecall extracts the Recall database so you can easily view what text is stored and the screenshots that Microsoft’s feature has generated. NetExec appears to be getting its own Recall module soon, which can access Recall folders and dump them so you can view screenshots easily. All of these tools are possible because there is currently no encryption or complete protection on the Recall database.

Microsoft developed the Recall feature under its new Secure Future Initiative (SFI) that the company implemented to review the security of its software following major attacks on the Azure cloud. Microsoft has had a difficult few years of cybersecurity incidents, and the SFI must focus on security above all else.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella even urged employees to make security Microsoft’s “top priority” recently, even if that means prioritizing it over new features. “If you are faced with the trade-off between security and another priority, your answer is clear: Be safe,” Nadella said (his emphasis) in an internal memo obtained by On the edge. “In some cases, this will mean prioritizing security above other things we do, like releasing new features or providing ongoing support for legacy systems.”

Davuluri references Microsoft’s SFI principles in today’s response, noting that the company is taking steps to improve Recall security. But it appears that this is largely due to security researchers flagging these issues rather than Microsoft’s own security principles, because surely these issues should have been flagged internally long before this release.

Microsoft is also keen to emphasize that Recall will only be available on new Copilot Plus PCs designed to be secure-core PCs with advanced firmware protections and the company’s Pluton security processor designed to protect against theft of a PC’s personal data.

“As we always do, we will continue to listen and learn from our customers, including consumers, developers and enterprises, to evolve our experiences in ways that are meaningful to them,” says Davuluri “We will continue to build these new capabilities and experiences for our customers, prioritizing privacy, security and protection come first. We remain grateful for the vibrant community of customers who continue to share their feedback with us.”