Resources
Bit9’s newsletter for January 31, 2007
Vista's Here! What Happens Next?The years of pre-release hype are over—Microsoft’s Vista operating system is a reality and promises to have the most significant impact of any of Microsoft’s OS launches since the introduction of Windows 95 more than a decade ago. With this in mind, we conducted “The Vista Upgrade Plans Survey,” an international survey designed to provide insight into how IT departments are planning for Microsoft Windows Vista.
The survey asked ten questions in order to determine:
- When companies are planning to roll out Vista
- How they are preparing for the upgrade and what changes are required
- How they actively manage the desktops within their respective organizations
- The overall perception of Vista’s security capabilities and inherent trust of Microsoft to keep their desktops secure.
How Malware is Exploiting Users' Apps
January saw a number of publicized vulnerabilities in popular applications such as Adobe and Quicktime. This continues a trend that began last year – malware writers turning their sights away from the core operating system and towards holes in the applications that are on so many of our desktops. In doing so, they trade the generic reach of Windows for the harder-to-patch software packages of many different vendors. And given that 80% of new viruses aren’t prevented by typical anti-virus engines, it would appear that this technique is working.
A Fantastic Resource for Group Policy
If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s worth checking out GPOGuy.com for a variety of free tools, articles, and training videos related to all aspects of Microsoft’s Group Policy system.
January's eBook is Now Available
"Security Enhancements in Windows Vista" from Microsoft Windows Vista Unveiled by Paul McFedriesDownload your eBook today.
Windows Vista is the most significant development to be launched by Microsoft in years. Driven by Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing Initiative (TCI), Vista ships with some major security enhancements. This month's eBook discusses how Vista is reducing the "attack surface area" of the operating system and helping users avoid making "bad trust decisions."
