How Internet criminals will evade Vista's safeguards

Think malware will fade away with Vista? Sorry. There's about as much chance of the thriving throngs of online criminals packing up shop as there is of Microsoft doing the same.

"Malware technology will evolve just like a business," says Vlad Gorelik, chief technology officer of Sana Security. "There are definitely improved protections [in Vista] with permissions control and things like that, but that type of protection could be overcome by malware." Some malware can already do its nefarious work under Vista, while others will need only minor changes. Fake alerts and other social engineering tricks already in use will become more sophisticated and more common as methods for evading Vista's defenses. You'll also likely see more Web-based threats able to steal data passing through any browser, and malware may hide more often in seemingly innocuous installation programs.

These threats and others will find a way around Vista's defenses as long as there's a buck to be made -- but you can act to protect yourself.