Microsoft has announced the removal of the Data Encryption Standard (DES) from Windows, effective September 2025. DES has long been criticized for its weak security, being deemed insecure for over two decades. This decision comes following the recognition that DES encryption does not hold up against modern cryptographic vulnerabilities.
Research as far back as 1998 demonstrated that DES keys could be cracked in less than three days using relatively simple technology. More recently, Microsoft included this change in its documentation for Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025, identifying DES as a deprecated feature. While DES has been disabled by default since Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, this announcement formalizes its removal from future versions of Windows.
Microsoft aims to replace DES with more robust and secure encryption algorithms to enhance user security. The support for DES will officially end in September 2025, which aligns with the technology company’s ongoing efforts to promote better encryption standards within its operating systems.
For more details, you can refer to Microsoft’s documentation on removed functions and features removed from Windows Server 2025.