Microsoft’s Windows Recall gets hacked again, a year after redesign

Microsoft’s Recall feature is under fire once more. The AI tool that automatically screenshots your PC activity has been compromised by a new security exploit, just 12 months after the company delayed and redesigned it following massive backlash.

Cybersecurity researcher Alexander Hagenah built TotalRecall Reloaded, a tool that extracts and displays data from Recall’s database. It’s an upgraded version of his original TotalRecall exploit, which first showed how easily someone could access the screenshots Recall stores on your machine.

When Recall launched last year, security experts called it a “disaster” and a “privacy nightmare.” Microsoft responded by pushing back the feature’s rollout and promising stronger protections. But Hagenah’s new tool proves those protections can still be bypassed.

The core problem remains unchanged: Recall takes constant screenshots of everything you do and stores them locally. That means sensitive passwords, financial data, medical information—anything visible on your screen—gets captured and saved. If someone gains access to your PC, or if the encryption protecting these screenshots fails, they’re exposed.

Microsoft hasn’t yet responded to the new exploit.

Based on reporting from The Verge.