Welcome to the Microsoft Security Newsletter - a
monthly newsletter for IT professionals and developers
bringing security news, guidance, updates, and community
resources direct to your inbox. If you have suggestions
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Viewpoint
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By Alex Heaton, Senior Product Manager, Windows
Vista Security
The principle of least privilege was one of the
guiding security principles behind the
development of Windows Vista. This article
examines four areas in which this principle was
applied: user accounts, Web browsing, services,
and drivers.
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Top Stories
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Windows Vista Release Candidate 1 (RC1)--the
final major pre-release of Windows Vista--is now
available through the Customer Preview Program.
After you have installed Windows Vista RC1, be
sure to visit the
Resource Center to download the Windows
Vista Product Guide and discover more
information that will help you quickly get up
and running.
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Data Protection Manger (DPM) is the new standard
for Windows backup and recovery, delivering
continuous data protection for Microsoft
application and file servers to a seamlessly
integrated secondary disk and tape solution on
the DPM server. DPM enables rapid and reliable
recovery through advanced technology for
enterprises of all sizes.
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Microsoft Office Groove 2007 is a new
collaboration tool in the 2007 Microsoft Office
system that enables teams to collaborate
dynamically, effectively, and with advanced
security, even when team members work for
different organizations, work remotely, or need
to work offline. Find out how the Office Groove
2007 client can fit into your organization.
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Security Guidance
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By Russ Humphries, Senior Product Manager,
Windows Vista Security
This article details how Windows BitLocker Drive
Encryption, an exciting new data protection
feature available in Windows Vista, addresses
growing concerns about the theft or unwanted
disclosure of data through the physical loss of
computer devices.
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These guides provide step-by-step information
about how to help protect data by using Windows
BitLocker Drive Encryption, how to administer
the TPM Security Hardware in a computer by using
Trusted Platform Module (TPM) Services, and how
to help deploy better-managed desktops and
mitigate the impact of malicious software by
using Windows User Account Control (UAC).
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This high-level document discusses the features
of the new firewall in Windows Vista, and
provides a short walkthrough. In particular,
with this document you will learn how to manage
Windows Firewall in Windows Vista through the
Windows Firewall with Advanced Security
Microsoft Management Control (MMC) snap-in, with
Netsh commands, and with Group Policy.
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In this Channel9 interview, hear from an
architect on the Windows Vista kernel team who
discusses what happens deep inside Windows from
a security perspective. From this conversation,
you'll learn more about the innards of Windows
than you might expect.
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This white paper provides guidelines and
suggested best practices for developers about
how to write software that works for standard
users and with the security enhancements of
Windows User Account Control (UAC) in Windows
Vista Beta 1. By following these guidelines,
developers will be able to gain a more thorough
understanding of UAC and how to develop their
applications in a more secure fashion.
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This article contains information to assist
application developers in ensuring that their
applications are User Account Control (UAC)
compatible.
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In Windows Vista and later versions of the
Windows family of operating systems, kernel-mode
software must have a digital signature to load
on x64-based computer systems. This paper
describes how to manage the signing process for
kernel-mode code for Windows Vista.
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This guide provides the instructions necessary
to use Trusted Platform Module (TPM) Services in
a test lab environment.
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Windows Sidebar is a new Windows Vista
component that provides a runtime for "gadgets."
Gadgets are mini-applications designed to
present the user with information or utilities.
The Sidebar team at Microsoft is completely
committed to making Windows Vista the most
secure version of Windows ever, and that
includes the security and trustworthiness of
gadgets. Windows Sidebar treats gadgets very
similarly to the way Windows Vista treats all
executable code.
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This Month's Security Bulletins
Critical:
Important:
Moderate:
Low:
MVP Update
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Microsoft Windows Server System MVP Mark Minasi
publishes the free Mark Minasi’s Windows
Networking Tech Page and runs a technical
support forum at
www.minasi.com. He is the author of 25 books
about computing, networking, and security,
including the upcoming Administering Vista
Security: The Big Surprises and Mastering
Windows Vista. He is also a long-time columnist
for Windows IT Pro magazine.
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By Mark Minasi, BA, MS, MPh, MCSE
This article discusses Windows User Account
Control (UAC) and provides insight on Admin
Approval Mode, creating standard user tokens,
and how UAC chooses which token to use.
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Partners with Expertise in Security Solutions
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Avoco Secure designs innovative products that
enable, extend, and add value to the Microsoft
platform, including support for Windows Vista
and Microsoft Office 2007. This premier
enterprise security, authentication, and
signature solution provider recently announced
the release of secure2sign and secure2trust V5
for the secure signing, protection, access, and
control of confidential information. Click
here for more information.
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Microsoft Product Lifecycle Information
Security Events and Training
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Get an early peek at improved security,
management, and productivity by experiencing
Windows Vista Beta 2 Virtual Labs. In these
labs, you'll learn how to deploy operating
system images by using Windows Deployment
Services, how to configure Windows User Account
Control (UAC) for standard and administrative
users via Group Policy, and more.
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In this 30-minute hands-on overview, you will
learn to configure new security features in
Windows Internet Explorer 7 and to configure
Internet Explorer 7 security features by using
Group Policy.
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The latest MSDN Security on the Brain Series
kicked off on September 27th with the "Writing
Securer Code" Virtual Conference, which
showcased the fundamental knowledge that all
developers require to write software that is
more secure. The conference provided training on
the latest exploits of hackers, along with
firsthand demonstrations of the steps hackers
take to find and exploit today's applications,
and also provided training about the process of
threat modeling.
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In the face of diverse and ever-evolving
threats, you need multiple layers of protection
to protect your business and stop attacks before
they can compromise your network. Multiple
layers decrease the likelihood that any single
threat can hobble your network. Use these
resources to learn about a broad range of
Microsoft security solutions to protect your
messaging environment.
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Upcoming Security Webcasts
Microsoft On-Demand Security Webcasts
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Security in Windows Vista
Learn how to choose and enable the security
configuration of your Windows Vista desktops,
manage ongoing security updates, and maintain
desktop security.
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Windows Vista Security Update
Windows Vista is engineered to be the most
secure version of the Windows client yet. This
webcast describes the security advances in
Windows Vista and includes demonstrations of
User Account Control (formerly code-named "LUA")
and Windows Internet Explorer 7 Protected Mode.
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Windows Vista Deployment Overview
Join us as we explore the advantages of using a
managed process for deploying Windows Vista, and
as we describe some of the tools that are
available to assist with deployment of Windows
Vista.
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For IT Professionals: TechNet Webcasts
For Developers: MSDN Webcasts
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