What a pity; only Microsoft you say?
Our pain-in-the-a*se security guys disabled the USB's on all our computers years ago. Then they gave some of us removable media manager software that seems to be very effective.
Not that it matters, we have lately switched to Linux and all our stuff is via VPN and passwords delivered through our cells over Bluetooth.
Now, because of the penchant of UK and US customs to check laptops we have to travel with everything offloaded and a fresh OS installed. Canadian customs are active, too, but since it is our destination country we just look on bemused if any of us get hooked for secondary checking.
Another requirement is that none of our travels route us through any UK or US airports, either.
I guess MS never thinks about these things. IMHO they have scored another own goal by demonstrating MS software is insecure. A real help to sales figures, undoubtedly.
BTW, the Register piece said: "copies of the software leaked onto the web and were briefly made available via BitTorrent, before the torrent tracking file was pulled". Not so, I have just found 11 .torrent links and have downloaded 7 of them onto 7 machines for crosschecking,
A friend in BeiJing said there are several sources on-line in China and they don't even listen to their own government, let alone foreign ones.
The article also said: "allow law enforcement officers ... without requiring any particular expertise" and, presumably, with minimal intelligence if its a 'police tool'.
Another thing that seems to upset customs inspectors are old cell phones. Seems they lack most of what this type of plod needs to 'forensically examine' the old models, switching them off and removing the SIM seems to complete their bad days. :)
So travel light, guys, no data, no live cells and no SIMs!