Just how secure is Windows Vista?
A SearchSecurity reader recently asked our platform security expert Michael Cobb, "Do the methods recently discovered to bypass Windows Vista memory protections reflect a lack of security in Vista, or an inability for any operating system to be completely safe?" Below, Michael Cobb explains what may be another question worth asking:
The Windows Vista operating system certainly doesn't lack security. In fact, it has bundles of new security features. When Vista was released, former Microsoft co-president Jim Allchin even told the press that the No. 1 reason for upgrading to Vista is that it's far more secure than previous versions of Windows operating systems.
With Vista, Microsoft has looked to develop a set of layered mitigations to provide defense-in-depth protection -- making it a more secure operating system than its predecessors. New security features include: User Account Control, BitLocker Drive Encryption, Data Execution Prevention, Network Access Protection and Windows Service Hardening, to name a few. So, again, Vista certainly doesn't lack security. Maybe in light of the recent research presented at the Black Hat USA 2008 security conference by Mark Dowd and Alexander Sotirov, the question should be "Is Vista's security up to par?"
