Windows Vista security flaw exposed

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/ptech/12/26/microsoft.security.ap/index.html

 

Microsoft released a product with security flaws? Not really news anymore.

I was going to wait at least a year before moving to Vista, maybe even two.

 

Having toyed with this for a little while and owning a copy of the Beta 2 release, I will say that this "security flaw" is highly overblown. Yes hackers can go in and do shit, but only if you are severly flawed in your mental faculties.

Vista has this "interesting" feature where if you load something that, if changed, will alter the O/S, it will ask you if you are sure. For example, "You are about to load the Control Panel. Are you sure you want to do this? [ Yes ] [ No ]."

Hackers have developed software that just plows into the O/S and tries to take over. In this instance, a box will pop up and say, "You are about to perform X. Are you sure you want to do this? [ Yes ] [ No ]." If you say Yes, then the hacker takes over. If you say No, the program is closed and terminated.

So this interesting "feature" protects the user. It just doesn't protect the stupid ones that will click Yes. There is also the option to turn this feature off. That will also open up the security and enable the hacker to take over.

 

Oh, for Pete's sake.

I assume there's a way to turn off the hand-holding mode.

 

Some people are just dumb.

 

There is a way to turn it off. However, if you do, you open yourself up to this security flaw.

I will state that while playing with it, the hand-holding (well put by the way) was extremely annoying. Every bloody click was another box....

You are about to open the Control Panel. Are you sure you want to do this?
You are about to open up the Display Properties. Are you sure you want to do this?
You are about to change the Display Properties. Are you sure you want to do this?
You are about to open your Network Properties. Are you sure you want to do this?
You are about to open your TCP/IP Settings. Are you sure you want to do this?

Ugh.

It's one major plus: it looks cool as shit.