![]() This feature is designed to help prevent intellectual property or sensitive data from being compromised or stolen. BitLocker is the one remnant of Microsoft's grand hardware-based security plan originally envisioned for Vista.įor businesses, Vista will offer tighter control over removable storage devices by letting administrators centrally block the installation of, for example, USB (universal serial bus) flash drives and external hard drives. The encryption feature is designed to work with a chip called the Trusted Platform Module, which offers protected storage of encryption keys, passwords and digital certificates. Other security features in Vista include BitLocker Drive Encryption to protect data on computers when lost or stolen. Microsoft's Jim Allchin speaks about Vista.ĬNET 's Ina Fried asks Microsoft's Jim Allchin questions from readers.ĬNET gets a look at Vista's office functions. Microsoft doesn't yet have a new name for System Restore, he said. If the thing gets in and has really done some awful things, using the equivalent of System Restore in Windows XP you can back up time and undo it," he said. "Then, if you let something in, Defender is there to (warn you) and you can undo it. "The first step is protection from doing things inadvertently or warning you about the level of impact it could have," Allchin said. Also, Microsoft has made its anti-spyware tool, Windows Defender, part of the operating system. The firewall has been updated and now looks at incoming as well as outgoing traffic-in XP SP 2 only incoming traffic was watched. ![]() Microsoft also has updated the security software in Windows Vista to help fend off threats. This is an attempt to block unwanted software such as rootkits from nestling deep into the PC. On systems with 64-bit processors, Vista will require digital signatures to run kernel-mode software such as device drivers, Allchin said. This mode will prevent silent installs of malicious code by stopping the Web browser from writing data anywhere except in a temporary files folder without first seeking permission. In Vista, IE 7 will run in protected mode by default, Allchin said. In Windows Vista, the default will likely be "protected administrator," a new privilege level that Microsoft is introducing with Vista, Allchin said.Īnother security change at the operating system level involves Internet Explorer. In Windows XP most users have "administrator" privileges, which could be abused by malicious software to install itself on a computer. ![]() "If we ever find something trying to open a port that the developer said it should not be opening, it is immediately shut down," he said.Īdditionally, Vista aims to offer improved security by letting people run their PC with fewer privileges, which control how a particular person can interact with the software. Then, another part of the OS verifies the process. "We have put features into the product to double-check itself," he said.Īs an example of double-checking, Allchin said Microsoft has marked the OS services to know what network ports they should open and what OS functions they should call. ![]() Additionally, the innards of the operating system are being designed to ward off attacks. ![]() Microsoft is following updated development practices to prevent security bugs and is using new approaches to analyze source code, Allchin said. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |