Security threats Toolkit

Story: Vista vulnerable to malware from 2004

• 
• 

Vista is not intended to provide full security for all users

Vista is only intended to grant basic security to basic users. Corporates, advanced users, and enterprises will still require additional security, and human-engineering attacks will nearly always circumvent security if they're well enough made. Regardless of Allchin's unfortunate comment acting as a red flag to hacker bulls, Vista has never been advertised or marketed as the end-all be-all for all security woes.

I run Vista, have for a couple of months now as a beta tester, and would never dream of running it without an AV client, but that said it is far more secure out of the box than any previous version of Windows that I've ever run and I've run pretty much every single version since Win 3.11. For the businessses I consult for, I'd have no problems of conscience recommending they adopt and use it, providing that they keep the enhanced security (firewalls, AV clients on desktop, mail gateway scanners, defence in depth, etc...) most of them already have in place.

I would set my Mom up with a locked-down Vsta when I can and encourage her to get an AV client but wouldn't worry too hugely if she didn't do so because I'd know she was at least baseline protected against the most common attacks.

• 
• 

• 
• 
• 

Full Talkback thread