Sensational charge

Microsoft Corp. sought to assure consumers and businesses yesterday that it did not insert a secret back door in its popular Windows software to allow the U.S. government to snoop on their computers.The sensational charge of a quiet alliance between Microsoft and the U.S. National Security Agency came after a computer security consultant noticed software code labeled "NSA key" in the latest update to Windows NT, Microsoft_s operating system for businesses. Similar code, but without the label, is also present in earlier versions of NT, in the upcoming Windows 2000, and in Windows 95 and 98, which run most of the world_s personal computers. The ``key' is part of the security software built into Windows. It_s used to check the authenticity of other software attempting to modify or add to the Windows security structure. If the National Security Agency had a special key, it theoretically could create software masquerading as additional security that would in fact make it easier for an outsider to gain access to any Windows computer. Once such software was installed on a PC, according to this scenario, the agency might be able to monitor activity and read files on it, even files the user believed to be securely scrambled. Microsoft forcefully denied that it gave any government agency such a key and explained that it called its function an "NSA key" because that federal agency reviews technical details for the export of powerful data-scrambling software."These are just used to ensure that we_re compliant with U.S. export regulations," said Scott Culp, Microsoft_s security manager for its Windows NT Server software. "We have not shared the private keys. We do not share our keys." The NSA label was discovered by Andrew Fernandes, chief scientist of Cryptonym, a small Canadian computer-security consulting company. After Fernandes posted his allegations on Cryptonym_s Web site, they spread quickly in e-mail and discussion groups across the Internet, especially in those corners of cyberspace where Microsoft and the federal government are often criticized.