--- title: Microsoft's account verification process locked out... description: Microsoft automatically suspended Windows Hardware Program accounts for several major open source projects — including WireGuard, VeraCrypt, MemTest86, and... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/microsoft-s-account-verification-process-locked-out-veracrypt-wireguard-and-other-open-source-proj-ztejnymqa twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Microsoft's account verification process locked out VeraCrypt, WireGuard, and other open source projects from signing Windows drivers | daily.dev og:description: Microsoft automatically suspended Windows Hardware Program accounts for several major open source projects — including WireGuard, VeraCrypt, MemTest86, and... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/microsoft-s-account-verification-process-locked-out-veracrypt-wireguard-and-other-open-source-proj-ztejnymqa og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/ZtEjNymQa.png og:image:alt: Microsoft's account verification process locked out VeraCrypt, WireGuard, and other open source projects from signing Windows drivers og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Microsoft's account verification process locked out VeraCrypt, WireGuard, and other open source projects from signing Windows drivers **[Collections](https://daily.dev/sources/collections)** · 3 min read · 2 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Microsoft automatically suspended Windows Hardware Program accounts for several major open source projects — including WireGuard, VeraCrypt, MemTest86, and Windscribe — due to a missed identity verification deadline introduced in October 2025. Without these accounts, developers cannot sign Windows kernel drivers, blocking all driver updates. Affected developers reported receiving no prior notice, being unable to reach human support for weeks, and in some cases being locked out even after completing reauthentication. The situation only resolved after media coverage prompted Microsoft VPs to intervene publicly. The incident highlights the structural risk of Microsoft's centralized control over kernel driver signing: a single opaque automated process with no escalation path can block critical security software from shipping emergency patches to Windows users. Microsoft has since introduced a fast-track reinstatement process but has not explained why the original communication failed. ## Content ## What happened In late 2025, Microsoft automatically suspended Windows Hardware Program accounts for several widely-used open source projects, including WireGuard, VeraCrypt, MemTest86, and Windscribe. Without active accounts, these projects can't sign Windows kernel drivers, which means they can't ship driver updates on Windows at all. The suspensions were triggered by a mandatory identity verification requirement Microsoft says it introduced in October 2025, with automatic account suspension kicking in after 30 days of non-compliance. ## Developers say they got no warning VeraCrypt's Mounir Idrassi and WireGuard's Jason Donenfeld both reported being locked out with no prior notice. Idrassi received only a vague rejection message citing unmet verification requirements, with no clear appeals path and only AI-generated responses from Microsoft Support. Windscribe, which had held a verified account for eight years, was suspended anyway. Some developers say they completed reauthentication and were still blocked. Others say they never received any communication from Microsoft in the first place. Either way, affected developers reported being unable to reach a human at Microsoft Support for weeks. The situation only moved after media coverage prompted Microsoft VP Scott Hanselman and CVP Pavan Davuluri to acknowledge the issue publicly on X. Hanselman confirmed accounts would be restored. Microsoft has since partly attributed the problem to vendors missing emails, while also acknowledging it needs to improve communication. ## Why this matters The practical stakes are real. Windows requires kernel drivers to be signed through Microsoft's program. There's no workaround. If a security vulnerability had emerged in VeraCrypt or WireGuard during the lockout period, the developers would have had no way to ship an emergency patch to Windows users. This also touches on something broader: Microsoft's control over boot-time code signing through UEFI means it effectively decides what software can run before the OS loads. That's a significant amount of leverage over independent developers, and this incident shows what happens when that leverage is exercised through an opaque, automated process with no human escalation path. ## The fast-track reinstatement process Microsoft has introduced an accelerated reinstatement process for affected accounts. Developers need to open a support case with a business justification. Full access is restored only after outstanding compliance requirements are met. Microsoft hasn't said how long this fast-track option will remain available. The incident raises a straightforward question: if Microsoft has been communicating these requirements since October 2025, why did critical security software developers end up locked out for weeks with no recourse until a VP intervened on social media? ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Microsoft locks out top open source devs, blames process](https://daily.dev/posts/microsoft-locks-out-top-open-source-devs-blames-process-ozskr0fog) · The Register · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#open-source](https://daily.dev/tags/open-source), [#microsoft](https://daily.dev/tags/microsoft), [#windows](https://daily.dev/tags/windows) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/microsoft-s-account-verification-process-locked-out-veracrypt-wireguard-and-other-open-source-proj-ztejnymqa) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Microsoft's account verification process locked out VeraCrypt, WireGuard, and other open source projects from signing Windows drivers","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/microsoft-s-account-verification-process-locked-out-veracrypt-wireguard-and-other-open-source-proj-ztejnymqa","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/microsoft-s-account-verification-process-locked-out-veracrypt-wireguard-and-other-open-source-proj-ztejnymqa"},"datePublished":"2026-04-10T05:05:10.935Z","dateModified":"2026-04-14T15:57:49.967Z","description":"Microsoft automatically suspended Windows Hardware Program accounts for several major open source projects — including WireGuard, VeraCrypt, MemTest86, and...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/764b2e0efa2a7e1ae2041341ff2ccc45?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/764b2e0efa2a7e1ae2041341ff2ccc45?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Collections","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Collections","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--fk_6ycEi--/f_auto,q_auto/v1780996001/logos/collections?_a=BAMAMiWQ0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/collections"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/microsoft-s-account-verification-process-locked-out-veracrypt-wireguard-and-other-open-source-proj-ztejnymqa","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":2},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"open-source,microsoft,windows","timeRequired":"PT3M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Collections","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/collections"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Microsoft's account verification process locked out VeraCrypt, WireGuard, and other open source projects from signing Windows drivers"}]} ```