After nearly a decade, Microsoft’s vision for how to protect especially sensitive information within Windows remains largely that–a vision.
Microsoft: ‘Trusted Windows’ still coming, trust us
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
I’ve seen enough rhetoric from Redmond to last me a lifetime.
My purchasing decisions are based on actual hands-on experience these days, not vendor promises.
Once the next version of Windows is released, I’m sure I’ll get a chance to play with it, and then we’ll see how well this marketing vision translates into working product.
Windows users expect to be able to click on .exe attachments in email, run crap from the web, etc etc etc…None of these types of inherently dangerous activities can be made safe by closed source software.
If you think in fact the user can somehow do “anything” safely, give me your strict definition of spyware, because where you draw this line is crucial for disinfecting…and know that if you play it too safe people will rebel for keeping them from doing the things they have always done.
What odes being closed source have anything to do with it?
MS and Gates consistently overpromise and under-deliver. I am forced to use XP at work, but when I spend my own money, its on OS X, or Linux. I just bought a laptop to run SuSE Linux 9.3 – thats a secure OS.
Agreed. We already went through the promised “Trusted Computing” initiative, and it didn’t seem to do a single thing. The holes just never end.
It’s hard to imagine Longhorn being any different.
As long as they only talk about their trusted computing everything’s find. Problems arise when they start to release it.
I trust my computer and this will be true as long as the vendors of the software I use keep their nose out of it.
I’ll trust my computer when it is running code that is confident enough to be inspected.
The day M$ tries to turn everyone’s PC into an Xbox is the day i discontinue using microsoft software forever.
“In the next version of Windows, … Microsoft will use the concepts of NGSCB to ensure that Windows-based machines start up without interference. The primary benefit of such an approach is that if a laptop is lost or stolen, the data can’t be accessed simply by booting the machine up using another operating system.”
That benefit is already available in the form of password protecting BIOS configuration and setting BIOS to first try booting from the hard-drive.
That benefit is already available in the form of password protecting BIOS configuration and setting BIOS to first try booting from the hard-drive
——————————————-
Now what if someone resets the BIOS on the computer or removes the hard drive and puts it into another computer?
being controllod by Microsoft? I fear the day/week/month/year/decade/century/millenium/infinity that ensues…
Now what if someone resets the BIOS on the computer or removes the hard drive and puts it into another computer?
—–
Referring to the article; Windows chief Jim Allchin said in a recent interview. “The hardware is not going to let you boot that software, and there is a way for us to do full-volume encryption.”
Answer: The data on the hard drive would still be encrypted!
I fail to see any user value whatsoever for the TPM to refuse to boot another OS.
The only theoretical effect I can think of would be “Grandma User” having some troubles trying out the latest Knoppix CD.
The only thing this does is prevent windows users from trying the latest Linux live cd effectively, it sounds like even if it does boot it’s not going to be able access your hard drive, so using a linux live cd to restore windows when it craps out (and it WILL) is now not an option.
If someone gets a hold of your laptop, and they want to, they will get on you hard drive. More likely they’ll format the drive and reinstall windows and sell the computer on the black market.
Trusted Computing = Controlled computing… M$ controls what you run, who runs it and when you run it.
sorry I’ll pass.
longhorn + sp2 + third party programs are tested and working together smoothly.