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Kamis, 08 Januari 2009

Is Windows 7 a security timebomb?

By Davey Winder in Editorial

Posted in Windows, Microsoft on January 5, 2009 at 11:29 am

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We already know a lot about Windows 7, mainly because details of the new Microsoft OS have been leaking like crazy for the past four months. We know it will scale to 256 processors and could well feature some kind of instant on functionality. We know that it is unlikely to be the death of XP although Vista is a different proposition.

We know that some people have already got a legit free copy and that a beta is due real soon now. We also know that a pirate version of Windows 7 is doing the rounds as a Torrent from the likes of Pirate Bay.



We know that many people will be tempted into downloading this to take a sneak peek at the new OS, and we also know that this is a very bad idea. Funnily enough, we are not alone in reaching this conclusion, and Rob Rachwald of Fortify Software has pretty much the same reasoning us we do.

Look, forget for a moment the whole software theft, copyright issues, breaking the law stuff. What worries Rachwald, and us, is the fact that you could be opening yourself up to a whole slew of security risks by installing something as low level as an OS when that OS is not even an official Beta but rather a dodgy copy downloaded from a pirate site.

“Reports suggest that pirate versions of an early build of Windows 7, which is under alpha test with developers, is available for file-sharing on the Internet. Given the low level at which this operating system installs on a PC, we recommend users give the version a very wide berth because of the associated security risks” Rachwald says.

But it seems the message is not getting through, and there are unconfirmed reports that many tens of thousands of people have downloaded and installed Build 7000 of Windows 7 from Torrent sites, all with no idea if the build has been tampered with by hackers in some way.

What we do not know is just what malware might be hiding in the close on 2.5 Gb of download.

Not to mention the small matter that, as Rachwald warns “It’s highly unlikely that any IT security application will protect the new operating system from internally-coded malware, so the fall-out from trying an unofficial version of the new operating system could be quite severe.”


source : www.itpro.co.uk



1 komentar:

Noz mengatakan...

By the time Windows 7 is released I just hope OS X and Linux takes a significant market share away from Windows. Linux updates their distros every 6 months and OS X updates every one or two years. The more Windows 7 is delayed, the better for Microsoft competitors.
I have read this Windows 7
Windows 7 (formerly codenamed Blackcomb and Vienna) is the next release of Microsoft Windows, an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, Tablet PCs, and media center PCs.Microsoft stated in 2007 that it is planning Windows 7 development for a three-year time frame starting after the release of its predecessor, Windows Vista, but that the final release date will be determined by product quality.Unlike its predecessor, Windows 7 is intended to be an incremental upgrade with the goal of being fully compatible with existing device drivers, applications, and hardware.[3] Presentations given by the company in 2008 have focused on multi-touch support, a redesigned Windows Shell with a new taskbar, a home networking system called HomeGroup, and performance improvements. Some applications that have been included with prior releases of Microsoft Windows, most notably Windows Mail, Windows Calendar,[citation needed] Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Photo Gallery, are no longer included with the operating system; they are instead offered separately (free of charge) as part of the Windows Live Essentials suite

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