NSA and Microsoft Worked Together on Windows Vista Security

[Richard]

by Robert McMillan

The U.S. agency best known for eavesdropping on telephone calls had a hand in the development of [b]Microsoft’s Vista operating system[/b], Microsoft confirmed Tuesday.

The National Security Agency (NSA) stepped in to help Microsoft develop a configuration of its next-generation operating system that would meet U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) requirements, said NSA spokesman Ken White.

This is not the first time the secretive agency has been brought in to consult private industry on operating system security, White said, but it is the first time the NSA has worked with a vendor prior to the release of an operating system.

By getting involved early in the process, the NSA helped Microsoft ensure that it was delivering a product that was both secure and compatible with existing government software, he said.

"This allows us to ensure that the off-the-shelf security configuration that the DoD customer receives is at a level that meets our standards," White said. "It just makes a lot more sense to be involved up front than it does to have the tail wag the dog."

The NSA’s involvement in Vista was first [b]reported Tuesday by The Washington Post[/b].

The [b]NSA has provided guidance[/b] on how best to secure Microsoft’s Windows XP and Windows 2000 operating systems in the past. The agency is also credited with reviewing the [b]Vista Security Guide published on Microsoft’s website[/b].

Microsoft declined to allow its executives to be interviewed for this story. But in a statement, the company said it asked a number of entities and government agencies to review Vista, including the NSA, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Still, the NSA’s involvement in Vista raises red flags for some. "There could be some good reason for concern," said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC). "Some bells are going to go off when the government’s spy agency is working with the private sector’s top developer of operating systems."

Part of this concern may stem from the NSA’s reported historical interest in gaining "backdoor" access to encrypted data produced by products from U.S. computer companies like Microsoft.

In 1999, U.S. Congressman Curt Weldon said that "high-level deal-making on access to encrypted data had taken place between the NSA and IBM and Microsoft," according to EPIC’s website.

With Vista expected to eventually power the majority of the world’s personal computers, it would be tempting for the government agency to push for a way to gain access to data on these systems, privacy advocates say.

The NSA provided guidance on Vista’s security configuration, but it did not open any back doors to Windows, White said. "This is not the development of code here. This is the assisting in the development of a security configuration," he said.

While the NSA is best known for its surveillance activities, the work with Microsoft is being done in accordance with the NSA’s second mandate: to protect the nation’s information system, White said. "This is the other half of the NSA mission that you never hear much about," he said. "All you ever hear about is foreign signal intelligence. The other half is information assurance."

-Robert McMillan, IDG News Service (San Francisco Bureau)

http://www.cio.com/blog_view.html?CID=28077

[William]

From what ive read Microsoft and the Govt have been hand in hand from the start....Thats why there are Better Operating systems that the public is not using en mass like windows....  All Windows platforms have back doors from what ive read.!!

oh brother, big brother!

[Richard]

I’ve been debating whether or not I should upgrade to Vista and I think I’m going to skip it because of the hefty hardware requirements and all the potential problems that come along with upgrading. Now reading about all this NSA stuff is another reason to skip it. I’ll keep using XP until I need another computer and then switch to Mac. I expect a lot of people will switch and this may be a good time to buy Apple stock. icon_anmachen

[Astrojewels]

I have a friend who wrote to Microsoft with the constant problems he has had with his computer and windows. He has tried to fix these errors and mentioned some things that most would not and ended his letter by saying “it was time for an apple, and I am not hungry!” he is a funny bloke and I wonder what kind of reply they will have for him.

[Richard]

Here's 10 more reasons not to get Vista.

by Ashton Mills

It's all too easy to get caught up in the million dollar marketing engine as we approach the consumer release of Windows Vista, so lets not forget that it isn't the second coming, and by all counts is an upgrade you can do without.

There are many lists out there on why to get Vista, so here's ours on why not to. 

1. You don't actually need it -- No, think about this. Vista doesn't do anything you can't already do with XP. About the only significant shift requiring Vista is DirextX10, but as no titles support it yet and, according to John Carmack (the godfather of modern gaming) there's no need to yet either.  

2. Cost $$ -- It's so blindingly obvious, most people will be blinded to it. You already have XP, and alternatives like Linux are free. If you really want to throw money away, go give it to a local charity. 

3. On that note, it's outrageously overpriced -- at least in Australia. As revealed in the current APC, even after taking into account the profit margin Microsoft Australia previously applied to XP (as well as exchange rates, as you would expect), Australians are paying hundreds of dollars more for their copies than in the US. In fact, it's cheaper for Australians to buy Vista direct by mail order from the States. If you think Microsoft Australia is reaming us, vote with your wallet.  

4. Upgrading hardware -- XP was demanding at release, but Vista more so. If you have an older machine that struggles with XP at the best of times, Vista is out of your ballpark unless you spend even more money to upgrade. If this is you, see point 1. 

5. Driver support -- Key hardware like video and sound is crippled at the moment -- while Nvidia is working furiously to get a stable driver for the 8800 out by the 30th, there's still no SLI support for any of the Nvidia range. And thanks to the removal of hardware accelerated 3D sound in Vista, Creative's popular DirectSound based EAX no longer works at all, muting this feature for just about all gaming titles on the market today. Creative is in the process of coding a layer for its drivers to translate EAX calls to the OpenAL API which is seperate from Vista, but going by past experience with Creative drivers we won't see these any time soon. 

6. Applications that don't work -- there's been plenty of coverage about applications that won't work without a vendor update. These include anti-virus, backup and security software such as those from Symantec, Sophos and ilk; CD and DVD burning tools like the suite from Nero need updated versions to work; and even basic disk management and partitioning tools such as Paragon's Hard Disk Manager are awaiting an update for Vista to be compatible. How many more will fail as Vista enters mainstream? Even Firefox has issues with Vista.  http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/2.0.0.1/releasenotes/#vista

7. It's a big fat target -- with a new and untested in the global wild architecture, virus and malware authors are going to work overtime exploiting the holes Microsoft missed. In fact it's already happening. Loath though I am to use the word 'security' and 'Windows' in the same sentence, Windows XP has at least been patched to the hilt and can be used with a plethora of reasonably effective security tools that work now, without waiting for an update down the track. 

8. UAC -- Oh yes, the Microsoft solution for an operating system where mutli-user was an afterthought. Sure, you can disable it, but the OS then makes it clear then that the onus is on the user for any damaging programs that got to run with permissions, rather than with Windows in the first place. If you do have it on, it is going to annoy the hell out of you. It pops up far too frequently, and even on a fast PC, the UAC screen takes too long to come up and disappear.  

9. DRM -- And to a lesser degree TPM -- were made for the RIAAs and MPAAs of this world, and the even tighter integration of copy protection mechanisms and 'Windows Rights Management' into vista are nothing more than a liability to you, the user. This ComputerWorld piece says is succinctly: 'it's hard to sing the praises of technology designed to make life harder for its users.' As for TPM, this short animated video shows just how far the rabbit hole goes. And to think you pay for the privilege of having the use of media you purchased and own dictated by third parties, even on your own system. 

10. The draconian license -- somehow, Microsoft has forgotten that it built its business from products that empowered its customers, not hampered them. Of course, we forget that Microsoft's customers aren't you and I, afterall (see point 9). Aside from the backward thinking that is licensing, and not actually owning, your software new terms with Vista include being able to transfer the license only once; half the limit compared to XP for Home Basic and Premium on how many machines can connect to yours for sharing, printing and accessing the Internet; limits on the number of devices that can use Vista's Media Center features; activation and validation governing your ability to upgrade hardware and use Windows itself; and outlawing the use of Home Basic and Premium with virtualisation software, and Ultimate only if DRM enabled content and applications aren't used. But then again, who reads these anyway? 

http://apcmag.com/5049/10_reasons_not_to_get_vista

[Richard]

What Really Happened posted a link to a long list of reasons not to get Vista. Click the link below. 

A Cost Analysis of Windows Vista Content Protection

Windows Vista includes an extensive reworking of core OS elements in order to provide content protection for so-called “premium content”, typically HD data from Blu-Ray and HD-DVD sources. Providing this protection incurs considerable costs in terms of system performance, system stability, technical support overhead, and hardware and software cost. These issues affect not only users of Vista but the entire PC industry, since the effects of the protection measures extend to cover all hardware and software that will ever come into contact with Vista, even if it's not used directly with Vista (for example hardware in a Macintosh computer or on a Linux server). This document analyses the cost involved in Vista's content protection, and the collateral damage that this incurs throughout the computer industry.

[Richard]

Vista fails to 'wow' the online world

From Yahoo News

While Microsoft trumpeted Vista worldwide on Tuesday, the Internet abounded with postings from people unimpressed or downright disappointed with the new operating system.

As Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates headed a multi-million dollar "The Wow Starts Now" ad campaign for Vista, computer aficionados online countered "Yawn, not wow."

Headlines on weblogs and news websites included "Think whisper, not bang" and "Why you don't need Vista now."

Critiques mocked Vista's grand promotion campaign, contending the system that Microsoft spent five years and six billion dollars to create had little to offer that hadn't been available in Apple's Macintosh computers for years.

"Not that I have a hate-on for Microsoft or anything... but I think this Vista was just a joke," wrote a blogger at Microsoft-operated Windows Live Spaces website.

"Just like (Windows) XP it's gonna take like two years to work out all the kinks. And by the way, I'm still finding problems with XP!"

Numerous patches, fixes, and updates have been released for the Windows XP operating system that Vista is replacing since its release in 2001.

Unlike the releases of Nintendo's Wii and Sony's PlayStation 3 video game consoles in November, throngs did not queue up at stores to buy Vista when it went on sale after the stroke of midnight on Monday, bloggers observed.

"In fact, it was kind of the opposite," a Tech Blog author identified only as Josh wrote. "No one really cared."

Bloggers complained that Vista was expensive and slowed computers that lacked upgraded memory and graphics components.

"Your software won't work," Chris Pirillo wrote while providing "tips" on Vista in a Windows Fanatics weblog. "Consider that a huge tip."

"Assume that if something works in Windows XP, there's a good chance it will not work the same way in Windows Vista."

Vista also scanned computers to insure film or music files there were legally copied, bloggers complained.

"They can search your computer via the Internet and delete any illegal files including music downloads," Josh said in a posting. "My privacy has been breached."

Microsoft has proclaimed Vista its most secure and thoroughly-tested operating system release.

Webloggers advised readers to put off buying Vista until flaws had a chance to be discovered and fixed.

Online complaints included needing to upgrade most old software along with hardware to work with Vista. Major computer game publisher WildTangent has accused Vista of "breaking" many popular computer games.

Some bloggers praised Vista features such as photo handling, speech recognition and desktop search but contended that Visto offered nothing revolutionary.

"Much of the new goodness has been available on the Macintosh for years," Adam Hertz wrote in an online posting. "But, for those who wouldn't consider crossing that particular chasm, Vista seems like a good thing."

Windows XP users would likely be pleased with Vista's enhanced features, but should be prepared for a tedious upgrading process, bloggers said.

Approximately 95 percent of the 900 million computers in the world run on Windows operating systems.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070131/tc_...mhvBHNlYwM-

[Richard]

More bad stories are coming out. icon_eek

Windows Vista Hacked Within Hours Of Launch

MS Vista Exploit Allows Myspace Sites to Control Your Computer

Is MS new "Vista" both garbage and dangerous?

VISTA security by the NSA

Windows Defender Lets Spyware Slip onto Vista PCs

[William]

Ha haaaa  :)

[Richard]

I was use to seeing Windows get better and better but it sounds like Microsoft screwed up big time on Vista. The publicity over the next few months should be entertaining. icon_tv