“During a telephone conference with reporters yesterday, outgoing Microsoft co-president Jim Allchin, while touting the new security features of Windows Vista, which was released to manufacturing yesterday, told a reporter that the system’s new lockdown features are so capable and thorough that he was comfortable with his own seven-year-old son using Vista without antivirus software installed,” Scott M. Fulton, III reports for BetaNews.
Fulton reports, “Allchin’s statement came in response to a question about his relative level of confidence that Vista would be more secure than Windows XP SP2. In response, he noted there were key security features added to Vista which could not be added to Windows XP SP2 even though, he said, his people apparently tried to do so.”
“Two such features — namely Vista’s new parental controls, and Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR), which renders the object code of the system kernel in memory differently each time to thwart the designs of malicious code — render his son’s Vista machine comfortable enough for him to use, even though production-quality anti-virus software for the unit has yet to be completed,” Fulton reports.
Fulton reports, “Allchin continued, ‘Please don’t misunderstand me: This is an escalating situation. The hackers are getting smarter, there’s more at stake, and so there’s just no way for us to say that some perfection has been achieved. But I can say, knowing what I know now, I feel very confident… ‘Windows Vista is something that will have issues in security, because the bar is being raised over time… But in my opinion, it is the most secure system that’s available, and it’s certainly the most secure system that we’ve shipped.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Of course Allchin’s “confident,” he’s on his way out and free of any concerns about accountability. He’ll be lucky to make it to the 9th hole on his first day of retirement before Vista sufferers get hit with their first of many exploits. Windows Vista is not “the most secure system that’s available,” Apple’s Mac OS X is clearly the system to beat. And, when it comes to security, Microsoft is not even in the same universe, much less the same league, as Apple. “Microsoft security” is an oxymoron. With his statements above, Allchin takes the “oxy” out of “oxymoron.”
For a Microsoft short-timer to claim Windows Vista is “the most secure system that we’ve shipped” is a joke. How hard is to improve on Windows’ absolutely miserable security record? Microsoft does this every time it inflicts a “new” Windows on the world. Promise, promises, promises… unfulfilled.
What about security? Bill Foundstone says that, “Windows XP can provide the strongest network security available.” Now why is that? Well, there are many things that we added to the system — Internet firewall, so that when you install a product you get instant protection from attackers trying to get into your system. We added a bunch of other capabilities to the system for security, but we also worked with the industry, the anti-virus vendors, the consultants to ensure that their products, together with Windows XP, created a holistic experience. We also came up with a new advanced technology that let us scan all the source code in the system to look for potential security issues, and we removed them before we shipped. We also put Windows XP on the Internet and we didn’t have a single compromise, and we left it on there for a very, very long time. – Jim Allchin, Windows XP launch, October 25, 2001
The bottom line: If he’s not trying to royally screw Microsoft before he takes his hike, then Allchin is crassly trying to sell Vista to the ignorant. Who’s going to buy it this time around?
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Microsoft’s oft-delayed, much-pared-down Windows Vista hacked at Black Hat – August 07, 2006
Symantec researcher: At this time, there are no file-infecting viruses that can infect Mac OS X – July 13, 2006
Sophos: Apple Mac OS X’s security record unscathed; Windows Vista malware just a matter of time – July 07, 2006
Sophos Security: Dump Windows, Get a Mac – July 05, 2006
Windows chief Allchin: Buy Windows Vista for the security – January 30, 2006
Hackers already targeting viruses for Microsoft’s Windows Vista – August 04, 2005
Windows czar Allchin says Apple copying Microsoft’s Windows Longhorn – April 27, 2005
So, who’s buying Symantec stock today???
I like the MDN take. It gave me a smile for a Friday!
How much weed is this guy seriously smoking. RC1 already had flaws within its like first hour of release.
Wow
MSFT blows
ASLR sounds clever, though.
Either the kid was using Vista under Parallels, or he had no Internet connection.
So a seven year old that is using a limited account, with parental controls enabled, who frequents teletubbies.com doesn’t have anything to worry about.
I have a bridge for sale, CHEAP!!
Microsoft customers won’t need anti-virus software when a monkey is president…
O my God!
Allchin continued. “But in my opinion, it (Vista) is the most secure system that’s available,…”
I hope people don’t believe him; I sure do not!
“…he was comfortable with his own seven-year-old son using Vista without antivirus software installed.”
Safe bet his IT guy isn’t NEARLY as comfortable with that prospect.
What re really wanted to say: “antivirus software would not make it any safer, because it’s once again inherently insecure”
hes doing microsoft a disservice actually.
No one expects vista to be secure.
hes building something up that isnt going to be the case.
Damn! Is it April 1st already?
Actually…..
No version of windows REQUIRES antivirus protection.
you have a choice. It is an option. You can get infected with a virus. You don’t have to protect yourself. No one is forcing you.
Aslo, Windows works fine as long as the computer is not hooked up to the internet. His son is probably not allowed to go online. He has given his son MS Encarta which has everything important on the web.
Bwa-ha-ha-ha!
Go ahead, pull the other one. It has bells on it!
I mean, Vista Beta had how many viruses on it in the first 90 minutes?
In a related story-
Your car no longer needs gas…
Anybody know the IP address for that Allchin kid?
Seriously:
Active X, yep still there
IE, yep still there
Resistry with all system settings that can be modified when you install a program, yep still there
There will be exploits before the boxed copies hit the shelves in the stores.
,,,Unless you want to go somewhere.
Uh, thats registry not resistry. Sorry, I was just so excited about a Vista machine running without AV.
AL:
“Aslo, Windows works fine as long as the computer is not hooked up to the internet. His son is probably not allowed to go online. He has given his son MS Encarta which has everything important on the web.”
When I used PCs back many years ago in the days of DOS, in school computer labs.. this was when there was no internet and you saved your data onto floppies, the school lab was literally RIDDLED with viruses. Back then back in command line days before Windows.
Viruses were so prevalent we had to scan our floppies before we used the computer lab, and STILL machines would get infected and the lab was periodically shut down due to virus issues.
Real smart Allchin…leave a challenge to hackers as you slip out the back door.
Most regular posters on this site are not fans of Doze, but for those that are, this has to be one of the scariest statements you’ll ever read.
Microsoft didn’t deliever security because…
1: There basically wasn’t any competition, Apple at the time was dying from mismanagement.
2: It served M$ purpose to put out insecure operating systems and software because it gave IT personel a job. They in return reinforced the Microsoft domination.
3: Microsoft and Sony envision the X-Box and PS3 taking over the consumer computing market.
So M$ kept Windows/IE insecure to give IT a job, to force consumers to ditch computers for console boxes.
That was the plan, now that’s changed.
Apple and Linux is a real threat to M$ domination. So the Wintel alliance created Trusted Computing, HDCP and EFI which locked the market in favor of Intel x86 based chips.
IBM is now out with their PPC processors, turning to the gaming market and big servers. Apple had to adopt Intel processors and sell their soul.
M$ is locking VISTA features to proprietory Direct X enabled video cards. So even if Mac’s can run Vista, it won’t do it well.
M$ is fixing the security issues in Windows and IE to lock the market share from advances in Open Source and Apple.
Most of IT will be nearly out of a job soon.
Microsoft Windows without virus is like a car without a wheel.
i was sure scott adams based a lot of his humor on sterotypical behavior of management or the government. i’m moved to think he has someone feeding him things from redmond.
mw: real… too real
l33t h@x0r, you’re spot on!
Thanks for the smile this morning!
Just one wheel?
TOWER TONE…
You are now on my list of favorite posters here which is a short list…Ampar being the only other one on it so far. Funny posts man…
BY THE WAY…a few weeks back now the question of buying YouTube came up…should Apple buy it… a week or two later Google bought it…
I just heard yesterday (from a friend at Microsoft..yeah I have one there) that a certain level of employees were told that Microsoft was going to buy YouTube and it came as a gutpunch
to them that Google got it first.
I’m guessing these smart people with a ton of money know something many don’t
“…even though production-quality anti-virus software for the unit has yet to be completed”
???!!!!!! Yikes!
They’re launching Vista WITHOUT production-quality anti-virus software available? Can you say “Titanic”? I knew you could.
He’s on crack!
Always get a Security Suite with a Windows machine.
No need to cry about it or try to deny it; just do it. You’ll hate yourself if you don’t.
Zeke – you beat me to that most obvious of comparisons!
I’d love to see the number of OS related Help Desk tickets generated internally at both companies. I have a feeling they would be very heavy on one side.
Hundreds of threads at MDN have complained that Microsoft should have and could have developed a more secure OS. Now many of you state that what should have and could have been done cannot really be accomplished at all. You will look stupid if MS finally has done one something right. I will wait and watch, and leave predictions to the prophets.
I agree partly with what Allchin is saying. Microsoft is finally implementing some security features that have been a part of Unix and Mac OS X for years. Why? Because these features they work! These features include a more meaningful separation between user and administrator accounts. This change alone will make Vista far more secure than XP.
On the other hand, Microsoft rightly or wrongly feels compelled to support legacy applications, and that limits the security level that Vista can provide. Microsoft has been burdened by backwards compatibility, and that will continue to cause security problems in Vista for years. If the Windows platform is to continue to survive long term (and truth be told, I hope it doesn’t
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />, Microsoft must do what Apple did in the transition from OS 9 to 10.
That’s crazy talk!
> That’s crazy talk!
I agree. Why would I offer advice to the evil empire? (not that they would ever listen.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />
“For a Microsoft short-timer to claim Windows Vista is “the most secure system that we’ve shipped” is a joke.”
No kidding. That’s like saying “this piece of swiss cheese has the fewest holes of any swiss cheese we’ve shipped.” Duh! They may be smaller, but they’re stills HOLES!
Idiot.
When did Jim Allchin start a career as a comedian ?
Jim Allchin vs. The Iraqi (dis) Information Minister
Who can tell a bigger whopper with a serious expression on his face? I don’t know, but I wouldn’t bet against our friend Jim.
“and Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR), which renders the object code of the system kernel in memory differently each time to thwart the designs of malicious code”
If I’m reading this correctly, the Vista system kernel object code is somehow reconfigured each time the machine restarts.
First, who restarts their machine that often (for Mac users, virtually never, but even for Windows users it’s not all the time, absent some kind of crash).
Second, that sounds like a perfect spot to have code problems and thus complete system crashes, blue screens of death, etc. So now Outlook can’t make sense of the newest object code, so it crashes and brings Vista down with it.
Third, Allchin JUST NOW feels like the OS his company makes is secure enough for his kid to use???? I’m glad he doesn’t work for a toy company – Gee, Jimmy, if you can just wait until the next version of Star Wars action figures comes out in two months, I promise they won’t explode then!
Wow. This really is a disaster in the making.
Macdailynews will need to buy another server to hold all the jokes that we will make up of this moron. He has got to be kidding that vista will not need protection.
“Vista won’t need antivirus software”
BWAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAaaaaaaHAHAHAHAH!!!!!
Now THAT is friggin’ HILARIOUS!!!! ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!
Vista may never be as efficient as OS X or as aesthetically pleasing as OS X, but for Pete’s sake, Microsoft, make it more secure.
If Vista doesn’t require any sort of protection, then why are they developing Windows Defender?
Allchin was misquoted. The Actual quote is:
“Anti-Virus software can’t protect you under Vista”
Allchin was misinterpreted:
Allchin says Vista doesn’t need antivirus? Nope.s
But Allchin’s rebuttal, he himself admits he wasn’t as clear as he should have been.
Outgoing Windows development chief Jim Allchin has apologised for the confusion he created in comments taken to mean Vista was so secure it might be possible to run the software without any anti-virus installed.
Responding to questions from reporters about whether Vista would be more secure than Windows XP SP2, Allchin said his seven-year-old son runs a Vista PC (locked down with parental controls and no IM or email) without anti-virus protection.
The comments were taken to mean that Allchin reckoned that improved security features in Vista – such as Patchguard and ASLR (Address Space Layout Randomisation, a feature that means the system kernel is loaded differently on each Vista machine – would make anti-virus protection obsolete.
Not so.
Allchin said his comments, which if true would decimate the software security market and make Microsoft’s own OneCare service redundant, had been taken out of context and misinterpreted.
“After reading the transcript, I could certainly see that what I said wasn’t as clear as it could have been, and I’m sorry for that. However, it is also clear from the transcript that I didn’t say that users shouldn’t run anti-virus software with Windows Vista! In fact, later in the call, I explicitly made this point again, because I had realised I wasn’t as clear as I should have been,” Allchin writes in a posting to the Windows Vista blog.
Allchin returns to the standard Microsoft line that even though XP Vista is the most secure operating system Redmond has ever produced, users would still need additional security software.
“Most users will use some form of anti-virus software, and that will be appropriate for their scenarios,” he writes. ®
Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/11/13/allchin_vista_antivirus_confusion/
And Windows Defender Sucks its a fact. Use Ad-Aware which is free and lot better at detecting.
Allchin: of course you don’t need Virus protection software with the new vista OS. (speaking to the general public)
Allchin: of course all major vendors of virus protection software have been assured there will be plenty of gaps in the sourcecode for them to regularly protect and disinfect. (speaking to developers)
Allchin: of course all the source code flaw has been turned over to the
virus defender dept. and the Virus propagator dept. for attitional revenue generation. (speaking to Balmer)
Allchin: of course all of the internet is safe for you now sweetie! (speaking to his daughter as he unplugs the RJ45 jack out of the back of her Dell)
oh, and ASLR’s randomization… probably has only 4 different steps it can take to move around in the sourcecode: up one, over one, down one, across one. It’s called the box step.