[ISN] User Account Control in Windows Vista

InfoSec News isn at c4i.org
Thu Feb 9 01:41:24 EST 2006


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1. In Focus: User Account Control in Windows Vista

2. Security News and Features
   - Recent Security Vulnerabilities
   - ISA Server 2004 Service Pack 2 Now Available
   - IE 7.0 Beta 2 Preview Available for Public Review
   - Researchers Already Scouring IE 7.0 for Holes

3. Security Toolkit
   - Security Matters Blog
   - FAQ
   - Share Your Security Tips

4. New and Improved
   - Soft Token, Strong Authentication

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==== 1. In Focus: User Account Control in Windows Vista ====
   by Mark Joseph Edwards, News Editor, mark at ntsecurity / net

Microsoft recently released the document "Applying the Principle of 
Least Privilege to User Accounts on Windows XP" (at the URL below), 
which aims to help you implement least-privileged user accounts (LUAs) 
in your Windows XP environment. The LUA terminology has been in use for 
quite a while now. Even so, Microsoft apparently wanted a clearer 
phrase for the concept. Initially, LUA was renamed User Account 
Protection (UAP), and most recently, the company landed on User Account 
Control (UAC), which will be the terminology used from here on out. 
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=202F7:4FB69

When Windows Vista makes its debut, native UAC will be built into the 
OS, so you won't have to jump through countless hoops trying to limit 
use of administrative privileges on your network. Vista will expose new 
UAC policies that let you better control user accounts. 

When using Vista, you'll either be considered a standard user or an 
administrator with privileges and rights appropriate to those two 
general types of accounts. For example, there will be 14 different 
types of administrative consent that cover the usual tasks a person 
might need to perform. 

In general, Vista will operate a bit more like Linux systems when it 
comes to administrative access. You'll operate on the desktop with 
least privileges, and your account will have a policy assigned to 
handle any need for elevation of privileges. Standard users will either 
be prompted for credentials (username and password) or denied elevated 
access outright, depending on the policy settings. Administrative 
accounts will have both those possibilities, plus a Prompt for Consent 
option. In the latter case, administrators would simply click Yes or No 
to elevated privileges instead of having to enter their credentials. 

Application installation will be an issue for some users, depending on 
their particular network. Vista will let you control whether elevation 
takes place when required by an application. Microsoft said that in an 
enterprise network, such elevation probably won't be required when 
installation is delegated to Group Policy Software Install (GPSI) or 
Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS). 

Another policy will govern applications that require elevation of 
privileges. You'll be able to deny elevation if the applications don't 
have a valid digital signature. To help with legacy applications that 
don't adhere to Vista's new architecture, you'll also be able to 
redirect registry and file writing activity to safe areas on the 
system. In other words, applications that typically write to the 
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE registry subkey or the Program Files, 
Windows, or Windows\System32 directories will still be able to run, but 
any write I/O will be written to virtualized locations instead of those 
actual locations. So the applications will run correctly, but sensitive 
storage areas won't be overly exposed. 

UAC will be a welcome change in Windows that will surely bring greater 
security. There will of course be the usual learning curve, so the 
sooner you get started understanding the ins and out, the better off 
you'll be when you begin to use the OS. You can catch glimpses of 
developing UAC functionality by reading Microsoft's UACBlog (at the URL 
below) on the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN). 
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=20308:4FB69

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==== 2. Security News and Features ====

Recent Security Vulnerabilities
   If you subscribe to this newsletter, you also receive Security 
Alerts, which inform you about recently discovered security 
vulnerabilities. You can also find information about these 
discoveries at
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ISA Server 2004 Service Pack 2 Now Available
   Microsoft released ISA Server 2004 Service Pack 2 (SP2). The new 
service pack brings new features, including enhanced caching, HTTP 
compression, and traffic prioritization.
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IE 7.0 Beta 2 Preview Available for Public Review
   Microsoft released a public beta of the long-awaited Internet 
Explorer (IE) 7.0. The new browser includes numerous security features 
that will help make Web surfing much safer than it was with previous 
versions of IE. 
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Researchers Already Scouring IE 7.0 for Holes
   As soon as Microsoft released IE 7.0 Beta 2 Preview, researchers 
went to work looking for security holes, and Tom Ferris found one. 
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==== 3. Security Toolkit ==== 

Security Matters Blog: SANS 2005 Information Security Salary Survey
   by Mark Joseph Edwards, http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=20307:4FB69

   SANS published its 2005 Information Security Salary & Career 
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FAQ
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Q: What are the versions of Windows Vista? 

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