MS to omit anti-virus from Vista

The Register ^ | 30 January 2006 | John Leyden

[Red Badger]

But they (MS) could at least TRY............

[Paul C. Jesup]

Its the proprietary licensing scheme I object to. Its a milk cow for the MPAA and RIAA and we can watch movies and listen to songs when they allow us to.

You need to read this thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1567248/posts The RIAA and MPAA have lost a lot of their power in D.C. And since DRM is not going to be mandated by law, there will be alternatives.

[frgoff]

I said you have to know your stuff to write a virus, not a program. There is a difference. A virus is intended to subvert the OS, a program is intended to cooperate with the OS.

Writing software for OS X is incredibly simple.

[Centurion2000]

Microsoft will omit anti-virus protection in Vista, the next version of Windows,

Well thank God. An OS should have an integral AV client.

[Senator Bedfellow]

When a major virus/spyware hits Vista, MS's Vista DRM policy will prevent third party patching to protect viruses/spyware for at least month if not longer, compared to the day or two it takes for anti-virus/anti-spyware programers to catch up and create patches for their programs.

Oh, please. When was the last virus that exploited a hole in a kernel mode driver?

[Paul C. Jesup]

Bedfellow, read what I post before you reply, I wasn't even talking about kernel mode drivers, I was talking about how third party programs and third party drivers in how slow responses for patching anti-virus/anti-spyware programs will be under Vista's, review all third party drivers, DRM policy.

[Senator Bedfellow]

And I'm asking you when was the last time a virus exploited a hole in a driver at all. If the answer is "never" (hint: it is), then the "problem" you're in such a panic about simply doesn't exist. There's no reason that software patches will be slowed by driver management, and drivers themselves are not a vector for virus infection.

[Paul C. Jesup]

And I'm asking you when was the last time a virus exploited a hole in a driver at all.

You were asking about kernel mode drivers, not just drivers in general. Nice trick question. I have no time for your foolishness. But about drivers in general, drivers are parts of programs and as such some drivers can be exploited with viruses and spyware.

This always goes back to "no matter how well you build a lock, someone will figure out how to open it without the key".

[Senator Bedfellow]

You were asking about kernel mode drivers, not just drivers in general.

I did you a favor by opening it up to any drivers that have ever been exploited by viruses. Nevertheless, only kernel mode drivers will require a signature - userland drivers can still be installed without one, and require no review, hence no delay in the off chance one becomes a virus vector.

Look, my man - there's plenty to criticize MS for on the security front, but this thing you've got here just isn't one of them. I'm sorry, but you don't know what you're talking about here.

[Paul C. Jesup]

Nevertheless, only kernel mode drivers will require a signature

Wrong, MS wants to approve every third party driver that goes onto Vista.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1567076/posts

From the first paragraph of that thread: in a new announcement, the company pledged to make it impossible to load any unapproved drivers under Vista.

[Senator Bedfellow]

Gosh, who to believe. Microsoft - "Users who are not administrators cannot install unsigned device drivers", meaning that administrators can install unsigned user-mode drivers. Or should we believe "Boing Boing"?

Okay, well, you go with "Boing Boing" if you like.

[Senator Bedfellow]

Bad link:

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/platform/64bit/kmsigning.mspx

[tubebender]

A friend in the local after market auto repair business is taking the plunge into new hardware and software at this time. He is going from a old DOS driven system (Activant/Triad service writer) no longer being updated to R.O.Writer by Progressive Autmotive Systems.

The old system was bullet proof and did not interface with the Internet and the new one requires it. He has hired a local IT firm to install it and maintain it. I stopped by today and they had installed Cat 6 cable last week and they are installing a Dell 670 server today. He will run 8 or 10 Dell 380 workstations.

I don't know much about it as I'm just a home user and am
on a Mac...

[Paul C. Jesup]

Current Windows OSes, a user can have a administrator account and install drivers onto Windows. Vista is looking more and more like the Yugo of operating systems.

And you should layoff what you are on Bedfellow, it's starting to affect your typing.

[Senator Bedfellow]

Current Windows OSes, a user can have a administrator account and install drivers onto Windows.

Uhhh, you can do that with Vista too. You did read the link I provided, right?

And you should layoff what you are on Bedfellow, it's starting to affect your typing.

LOL. Well, you might as well shift to personal attacks - you sure as hell aren't getting much traction on the factual end of things.

[stylin_geek]

Wow, you've just described our DEC Alpha mainframe...

[Paul C. Jesup]

Uhhh, you can do that with Vista too. You did read the link I provided, right?

It's runs counter to what is reported else.

[Paul C. Jesup]

Uhhh, you can do that with Vista too. You did read the link I provided, right?

It's runs counter to what is reported elsewhere.

[Senator Bedfellow]

Wow, the media screwed something up. Never seen that before.

[Paul C. Jesup]

Wow, the media screwed something up. Never seen that before

(sarcasm) I take you get your 'truthful' information on the democratic party from the DNC website as well.