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September 2006 - Posts

Security Theatre - enter the Biometric authenticated USB memory stick

I was in a meeting earlier today where my machine was connected to the projector and someone wanted me to display their presentation for them. In normal circumstances I'd expect to be passed a USB memory stick ("thumb drive") containing the PPT which Read More...
Posted Friday, September 29, 2006 6:22 PM by Steve Lamb | 5 Comments

Windows Vista's Patch Guard / Kernel Protection feature will only ship with 64 bit versions of Windows Vista

There's been a great deal of speculation and debate in the Press and online regarding Windows Vista (and Server 2003)'s Patch Guard feature. The name's a little misleading as many people associate the word "patch" purely with legitimate software updates Read More...
Posted Thursday, September 28, 2006 11:16 AM by Steve Lamb | 1 Comments

Windows Vista step by step deployment guides are now available

Simply browse to the Windows Vista Step by step guides to read details of how to make the most of the management and security features. The following guides are available: Deploying Vista Step by Step Guide Managing Group Policy ADMX Files Step by Step Read More...
Posted Thursday, September 21, 2006 4:08 PM by Steve Lamb | 0 Comments

Ed Gibson's On The Road speaking at five locations around the UK - he's a really interesting Security Speaker

I'm proud to announce the 'Ed Gibson "On The Road"' Events which will take place mid-September to mid-October 2006 at 5 venues around the country. The aim of the events are to raise awareness of the issues surrounding computer security, specifically Organised Read More...
Posted Wednesday, September 20, 2006 6:54 PM by Steve Lamb | 1 Comments

Have you ever sent a txt that you've later regretted? Be careful if your brand new phone can post pictures to your blog

A friend of mine has just purchased a brand new mobile phone which includes the facility to post images to his blog. In principle this seems like a really useful feature for those who what are into blogging. As blogging becomes mainstream then removing Read More...
Posted Monday, September 18, 2006 3:20 PM by Steve Lamb | 1 Comments

There is an interesting MSDN developer security event coming up in London

The MSDN team are presenting an evening of Application Security in London on the 21st September. They describe the event as follows: Visual Studio 2005, Visual Studio Team System and SQL Server 2005 have a host of features that help you to create secure Read More...
Posted Friday, September 15, 2006 6:56 PM by Steve Lamb | 1 Comments

Hunting Security Bugs - it's a good book that can help you improve the security of your code

Tom Gallagher, Bryan Jeffries and Lawrence Landauer have produced a very useful book that they describe as follows: Learn how to think like an attacker—and identify potential security issues in your software. In this essential guide, security testing Read More...
Posted Tuesday, September 12, 2006 4:13 PM by Steve Lamb | 2 Comments

The Magic of Software can improve the effectiveness of Jet Fighters

I recently watched a TV programme that covered a major airshow in the UK - Farnborough. There were many impressive displays including one by the new European "Typhoon" fighter. Shortly afterwards a rival manufacturer (Saab) demonstrated their aircraft Read More...
Posted Thursday, September 07, 2006 9:48 AM by Steve Lamb | 3 Comments

How does Internet Explorer 7's "Protected Mode" work on Windows Vista? What is Mandatory Integrity Control?

Steve Riley's posted a nice explaination of how Windows Vista's Mandatory Integrity Control works . This important technology is a core part of the way Windows Vista is architected to use low privilege wherever possible. It's one of those significant Read More...
Posted Tuesday, September 05, 2006 9:28 AM by Steve Lamb | 4 Comments

How does PatchGuard protect with Windows Kernel from Malware?

There's been a great deal of discussion about exactly what the Kernel protection feature named "PatchGuard" can do and how it fits with third party software. Jeff Jones has published an excellent technical post that goes into detail on this very subject. Read More...
Posted Friday, September 01, 2006 11:21 AM by Steve Lamb | 2 Comments