[ISN] Securing Windows Server 2003

From: InfoSec News (isnat_private)
Date: Mon Apr 21 2003 - 00:50:56 PDT

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    http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,1034386,00.asp
    
    By Dennis Fisher
    April 18, 2003 
    
    SAN FRANCISCO - The upcoming release of Windows Server 2003 is a
    watershed event, not only for the Windows group, but also for the
    security team at Microsoft Corp.
    
    Company executives have made it quite clear over the last few months
    that the next version of the flagship operating system will be a key
    test for the processes and improvements made as part of the
    Trustworthy Computing initiative.
    
    In fact, Dave Aucsmith, chief technology officer of the Security
    Business Unit at Microsoft, based in Redmond, Wash., said if the OS is
    found to be as vulnerable as previous versions of Windows, it will
    mean that the company's model for improving security "was wrong."
    
    However, folks in Redmond aren't just holding their breath and hoping
    for the best. The company has made some major changes to Windows that
    executives believe will begin to turn the tide in the battle against
    vulnerabilities and other quality problems.
    
    One key security improvement in Windows Server 2003, set for release
    April 24, is a feature that checks the configuration of user PCs as
    they connect to the network. If the machine is not configured
    properly, i.e., doesn't have updated anti-virus signatures or a
    personal firewall installed, the software can quarantine the machine
    on a private segment of the network until it is reconfigured. Some
    third-party vendors sell similar solutions as add-ons to Windows, but
    this will be the first time that such a capability is included in the
    OS itself.
    
    As part of the security push that all Microsoft products now go
    through, the company's internal penetration testers developed some
    innovative tools to attack new applications.
    
    
    
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