I never thought I would hear this… at least, not for a little while. It looks like Microsoft is adding a lot of features to its newest operating system that will provide more security for its users. Even though this may be, is it enough?

Yes, Vista is more secure, but Microsoft remains a primary attack target. “Vista being more secure doesn’t necessarily make my organization more secure,” warns Jeremiah Grossman, former Yahoo information security officer who’s founder and CTO of WhiteHat Security.

BitLocker encrypts files, so they can’t be read if a PC or laptop is lost or stolen. Conversely, BitLocker won’t encrypt files if it suspects a PC has been lost or stolen–a defense against data tampering. There’s an option to lock the boot process until the user supplies a PIN, much like an ATM card PIN, or inserts a USB flash drive that contains the key for decryption. Of course, that doesn’t give you permission to leave your laptop on the front seat of an unlocked car.

Network Access Protection is one of the most widely anticipated features of Vista. When integrated with Cisco’s Network Admission Control framework, NAP supports remote-access policy enforcement. PCs seeking to enter a network protected by Microsoft’s, Cisco’s, or some other combination of access control technologies get the equivalent of an airport security X-ray. If software’s not up to snuff, network access is limited till things get fixed.[more]

Tags: Computer Protection