In its Vista operating system, Microsoft heavily emphasises security. Microsoft co-president Jim Allchin said, "My son, seven years old, runs Windows Vista and, honestly, he doesn't have an antivirus system on his machine. His machine is locked down with... |
In its Vista operating system, Microsoft heavily emphasises security. Microsoft co-president Jim Allchin said, "My son, seven years old, runs Windows Vista and, honestly, he doesn't have an antivirus system on his machine. His machine is locked down with parental controls, he can't download things unless it's to the places that I've said that he could do, and I'm feeling totally confident about that. That is quite a statement. I couldn't say that in Windows XP SP2."
Allchin said his confidence in Vista came from new security features, including parental controls and Address Space Layout Randomisation, which is a feature that randomises key data areas in the virtual computer space in an effort to foil hacks based on predictable data storage.
The Microsoft co-president's comments come at a time when Microsoft is battling security vendors over Vista. McAfee and Symantec have both claimed they have not been granted access to key parts of the operating system, specifically to the kernel of the 64-bit version of Vista, and claim this will hinder their abilities to produce fully functioning antivirus code.
Despite the pains Microsoft took to improve security Relevant Products/Services in its newly released computer operating system,Vista, outside researchers say the changes won't make online life much safer than it is now.
The reason being Vista might have holes that are yet to be discovered. More impotantly because the complex nature of online threats.
"Microsoft has made the core of the operating system more secure, but they've really solved, by and large, yesterday's problems," said Oliver Friedrichs, director of emerging technologies at antivirus vendor Symantec Corp.
On the other hand, the security companies claim consumers and businesses could be vulnerable if they have to rely solely on Microsoft's built-in security solutions, which in the past have had more than their share of flaws.
"This is just not the best way to do it," said Cris(cq) Paden, spokesman for Symantec.
Symantec claims its technology is simply better, even with all the improvements Microsoft has made in Vista.
The vendors also note question the timing of Microsoft's refusal to let them attach their products to the software "kernel" that is the guts of the new operating system.
"When you're cutting off your competitors from using technology they have and that you don't, just when you're getting into the security business, … we've got a real problem with that," Paden said.
Currently, the dispute over Microsoft's "Patchguard" security system involves only Vista versions made for high-end 64-bit computers. Those represent a small minority of computers in use today, but as technology advances, 64-bit computers are expected to replace today's more widely used 32-bit computers.
Some companies have gone so far as to figure out ways to circumvent Patchguard to make sure their products will still work in the future.
A security vendor had found a way to bypass a controversial security measure in Microsoft's upcoming Vista operating system. The announcement was the latest chapter in a long-running battle between Microsoft and vendors, such as McAfee and Symantec. Symantec and McAfee 'should have prepared better' for Microsoft Vista, rival IT security firm Sophos had claimed earlier in the week. Symantec and McAfee had recently made high-profile complaints that they are being 'locked out' of the Vista operating system kernel by Microsoft's PatchGuard technology. They claimed that this allegedly anti-competitive move by Microsoft will prevent security firms from developing Host Intrusion Prevention (HIPS) systems for Vista to protect against new malware. The debate and the name-calling has come to a standstill with Authentium’s move.
|
