The developer of popular file encryption software VeraCrypt said Microsoft has blocked access to the account it used to send updates to Windows users, and warned that people who encrypt their PCs with the company's software could soon face problems accessing their computers.
VeraCrypt developer Mounir Idrassi said in an online post on March 30 that Microsoft had “terminated the account he had been using for years to sign Windows drivers and bootloaders,” and that he received no explanation or challenge for this decision.
Idrassi, who is based in Japan, said he tried to contact Microsoft but was unable to reach him. If the issue is not resolved, many devices running VeraCrypt will soon be unable to boot, Idrash said, as Microsoft is asking developer accounts like his to re-validate the security of their software.
A Microsoft spokesperson had no immediate comment when contacted by TechCrunch.
VeraCrypt is a widely used open-source encryption software that allows users to use password-protected encryption to scramble files on a computer and encrypt a computer's entire operating system and user data from pre-boot attacks. According to the latest version of the VeraCrypt software for Windows users, published in May 2025, the software's installer file has been downloaded approximately 1 million times since its release.
The situation highlights how tech companies still retain significant control over the apps distributed on their platforms, and the risks users face when relying on third parties to maintain accounts, which can be revoked under rules that can change at any time.
In his case, Idrassi said he can push new updates to Linux and macOS users without issue, but the vast majority of users running Windows are currently unable to receive updates.
“For affected users, there is nothing special to do at this time as VeraCrypt continues to work and there are no known security issues at this time,” he told TechCrunch on Wednesday.
Idrassi warned that users who have enabled System Encryption, which scrambles the entire operating system to load unless the user has a password, may experience problems starting their computers starting in the next few months, around late June.
He said Microsoft will soon revoke the certificate authority used to digitally sign VeraCrypt software. This process is used by developers to prevent hackers from tampering with the software.
Without access to the Microsoft account used to submit software updates, “VeraCrypt will not be able to apply the required new signatures and will be unable to launch.”
“If the issue is not resolved by then, it effectively means a death sentence for VeraCrypt,” Idrassi told TechCrunch.
This is the latest example of companies automatically terminating online accounts. Earlier this year, developer Paris Buttfield-Addison was locked out of her Apple account after redeeming what appeared to be fraudulent gift cards sold by a major retailer.
Buttfield-Addison was able to get her account reinstated after news of the suspension spread.