Feb 07 20
Microsoft can't defend Windows Vista
Posted by Munir Kotadia @ 16:01 8 comments
Windows Defender for Vista has failed miserably when it comes to protecting users of Microsoft's latest operating system from a very basic attack.
The penetration of Windows Vista is increasing but all the signs point to users of Microsoft's new OS facing a very scary few months when it comes to security issues.
Vista has only been on the shelves for about a month but big businesses have been playing with the final release since December 2006. Microsoft didn't find it necessary to patch the new operating system in its most recent batch of patches, which were issued last week.
However, the February patch Tuesday did fix a critical vulnerability in Windows Defender, which is a security tool that, according to Microsoft's Web site, is designed to protect Vista from "pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software".
Because of the flaw in Defender, a specially crafted PDF document e-mailed to a users' PC could result in remote code execution as soon as that file is scanned by Microsoft's security tool.
According to a security bulletin published by Microsoft: "An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by constructing a specially crafted PDF File that could potentially allow remote code execution when the target computer system receives, and the Microsoft Malware Protection Engine scans, the PDF file".
The situation is likely to get a lot worse before it gets better.
Last December I was fortunate enough to have a lunch with David Perry from Trend Micro, who described a "sweet spot" for attacking Windows Vista, which will appear once there is a critical mass of Vista users but before Microsoft releases the first service pack.
According to various sources, SP1 for Vista will not arrive till the second half of this year.
This means that early adopters of Vista are likely to face a turbulent few months as newly discovered vulnerabilities are exploited in both the operating system and its applications.
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You have just pointed out that a new product (from windows) has not been 100% perfect...big news! As we all know, windows is not known for the first time perfection. Anyone who knows anything about computers will probably obtain a copy of vista in about 6 month from now after all the non-tech people are purchased and been screwed by those of us who feel the need to destroy the sanity of other, you know who you are.
Instead of almost every website posting information about vista being about how bad and unreliable it is, why not look into the good points of it? The actual functionality of Vista is quite remarkable. Yes, it does have a few down points, but what doesnt on first release?
So, yes, there are a few bad points in vista at the moment, and alot of people might see this as a reason not to get any microsoft product. Their loss. After trying the "other" major OS's I have again returned to windows for its reliability, its customer server (slow but effective and correct) and their all around performance in updating. Opposed to few hundred nerds swearing at eachother on forums trying to prove that Linux/Mac has better features.
So go ahead, use linux or max os x and use an inferior product. Just leaves more copies of vista for those who want a much better overall product.