Microsoft and DOD Defining Windows 7 Security

Microsoft and DOD Defining Windows 7 Security

mcpmag.com

As users await the release of the next version of the Windows operating system, Microsoft is working with the government to establish secure system settings that are expected to become the Federal Desktop Core Configuration (FDCC) for Windows 7.
Earlier this month, Microsoft released the alpha version of its security guide for the new operating system. At the same time, it is working with the Defense Department to harmonize the setting with the FDCC. Ideally, the two components will constitute.

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This is the first time the National Security Agency, The Defense Information System agency and Department of Defense has worked together with Microsoft.

They quote” The goal will be a government wide standard applicable beyond just defense and national security systems. When completed, NIST will check the configuration against the NCP for appropriateness and evaluate it.’.

What’s up! We can only conclude it is to restrict and monitor internet activity. Are we all terrorists?

If we pay attention we see several changes being made to web browsing with the false pretense of Cyber Security.

NSA’s cyber-security grab is a major expansion of web surveillance

With Time magazine reporting that President Obama has narrowed his top choice for the White House “cyber security czar” position to former Virginia Republican Representative Tom Davis, a leading backer of the Bush administration’s surveillance powers over the Internet, comes word from WMR’s sources that the National Security Agency (NSA) has been given a green light by the Obama White House to embark on a major effort to establish total surveillance over the Internet.

The decision is somewhat of a consolation prize to NSA director General Keith Alexander who made no secret of his desire to be named as Obama’s cyber security czar. However, it is anticipated that Davis is in lockstep with the NSA in ensuring the eavesdropping agency becomes the de facto lead organization for conducting spying on Internet users worldwide.

onlinejournal.com...


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[edit on 29-6-2009 by wonderworld]

Operating systems get security ratings - Windows has done pretty poorly in the past, so my guess is that they're just trying to get a higher certification.

Sure, there could be shadiness, in fact I don't doubt it. This whole thing doesn't necessarily mean that's the purpose though.

Here's a link:
www.securityfocus.com...

Actually, Microsoft has been doing this since the dawn of NT. Back then Microsoft implemented C2 Security to cater their product to the US government. This plan worked so well that now everything from Nuclear Subs, Air Force Radar Control Systems, Missile Launch Systems, and many other critical military systems are running on Microsoft Windows NT 4, 5 or 6.

The US Military has very strict (and ever evolving) requirements for hardened computer security. Rather than have Microsoft patch their product to meet Military Specs, the US Military is working directly with them to make sure the OS is hardened at the core of the OS from the ground up instead. I'm sure the US Federal Government is one of Microsoft's biggest customers, and many of their other bigger customers like HP and Dell would hardly consider an OS hardened to Military Specs to be a bad thing.

Also, this is not limited to Microsoft products as SE Linux (or Security Enhanced Linux) was developed by the NSA's National Information Assurance Research Laboratory. The security enhancements that they have made in this particular flavor of Linux have found their way into every other flavor of Linux since. There was much skepticism at first, however, as Linux is Open Source and code is scrutinized by thousands of developers, the security hardening done by the NSA to make Linux meet government criteria for hardened systems has been found to not be a Trojan Horse of any kind, but methods that make the OS far more secure.

There are backdoors through Windows Security. However, Microsoft working with the US Military to implement tougher security measures in their Windows OS is not going to make any more, but rather the opposite effect. Granted, as Microsoft Windows is not Open Source, there is no way for the public to scrutinize what is being done to harden the OS like there is with SE Linux.

If you are truly paranoid, and don't trust Microsoft or the US Military, that is what Boot-Level Hardware Encryption is for. If you Triple Encrypt the contents of your harddrive using secure algorithms, prior to installing your Operating System, such as Windows, then your computer is going to be secure from intrusion and scrutiny, even at the hardware level (so long as you keep the passkey/passphrase secure and separate from your computer and make sure that it is not kept in physical memory at any point).

Military worried about hardened operating systems?

Two words: Gary McKinnon

Every operating system from Windows 3.11 we used in the DOD had to be security certified before we could use them on base. This is nothing new, other than centralizing that cetification for all federal agencies.

reply to post by wonderworld

Seems like the opening posts cover 2 topics-
-Windows 7 security and
-Internet surveillance
It's not clear if you are implying they are related?

As others have said the windows security issue is not really so new, just the format the cooperation is taking for Windows 7. I remember back when Adobe Acrobat 6.0 came out and the internet lit up when people found out adobe included a hidden currency scanning code requested by the Feds (apparently trying to catch counterfeiters who might try to scan money and then print it), that was a bigger story than this.

And regarding internet surveillance, seems to me like they can (and probably already do, since the Patriot act passed) perform internet surveillance, irrespective of what operating system you are using.

I just dual boot debian and windows...if linux had better support for gaming i would switch over completely but alas it doesn't...once you have had some time with a linux os you can quite easily tell what as big steamy pile of BS windows really is.I have already heard the NSA have worked with MS in the past.And yes if an alpahbet agency wanted to know what everyone was up to it wouldn't matter what OS you were using...but atleast with linux the vulnerability is the size of a pin head,not the size of the grand canyon.

[edit on 29-6-2009 by Solomons]