Anilrgowda

TAGAYTAY -- Microsoft claims that its next Windows operating system will be both fun to use and secure, and they gave the media here a closer look hands on.

In the recently held Windows bootcamp for the Philippine media, Microsoft showcased the new Windows Vista. Amid the audience's "oohs" and "aahs" with the totally overhauled graphical user interface, one question remained: Is Windows Vista secure?

Apart from the interface, Microsoft took pains improving the security features of Windows Vista in an effort perhaps to get past the security problems that plagued previous Windows versions, including Windows XP. Vista now offers enhanced online and offline protection.

The foremost application in previous versions of Windows that suffered the most Internet attacks is Internet Explorer (IE). In Windows Vista, however, the seventh version of IE has been totally overhauled. Most importantly, it has been enhanced with several anti-"phishing" (online identity theft) features and has a notification setting for potentially dangerous websites.

The most obvious feature of IE7 is the address bar which lights up yellow if a website is suspicious or red if the site is confirmed to be a phishing site. This is because IE7 has been installed with its own artificial intelligence that checks visited sites for potential threats. If the AI cannot readily identify a threat in the site, it compares it to the Microsoft database online.

Vista also has a new anti-spyware add-on called Windows Defender. When connected to the Internet, Defender updates itself with the latest list of spyware. It also monitors and prevents entry of suspected spyware.

Vista also has a useful outbound firewall feature, which prevents users from sending data out to the network through applications such as instant messenger and IE.

It also has a hard drive encryption feature called Windows BitLocker that prevents hard disks from being scanned and its files copied when the device itself is removed and accessed by another PC, thus preventing information theft.

Another new feature is the User Account Control (UAC), which is a more comprehensive control manager that lets administrators to set user privileges at a stricter level. Users are given permission to install selected applications based on administrative policies.

A nifty security application is a comprehensive Parental Control option designed for home-based computers used by family members. This feature allows parents to set the level of usage of their children, according to schedule and the type of applications allowed. A usage reporting function can also let parents know what sites their children frequently visit, applications used and even the games played and for how long.

Microsoft seems to have covered a lot of ground in terms of Vista's security. But Windows Vista itself will not yet be fully launched till the first quarter of 2007. The following months will be a litmus test if Windows Vista can deliver what it promised, especially when malware developers try to work around the new operating system's security features.