Microsoft ramps up Windows 8 security for IT consumerisation

Microsoft claims Windows 8 is "a better Windows" than Windows 7. In particular, the company has focused on improving security to ensure users of Windows 8 tablets can securely connect to corporate networks. It is building antivirus (AV) and secure, role-based authentication into Windows 8 to make the operating system (OS) enterprise-ready.

During the Windows 8 preview day in Amsterdam, Bill Karagournis, group program manager at Microsoft, demonstrated the work Microsoft had done with the UEFI (unified extended firmware interface), a group comprising hardware companies and chip makers, to validate the operating system when it boots up.

On a PC, the Bios (basic input output software) that runs as soon as it is switched on, loads what is called a boot loader program, that then starts Windows. Hackers can intercept the boot loader to make it run rogue software before Windows starts, circumventing Windows security. To prevent this, the firmware validates that the OS boot loader is clean.