Vista Security and Your Role
by George Harding
The new operating system Vista, from Microsoft has some security features that should help you with trojans and viruses but there is a new approach and things that are new tend to make people uneasy. The feature I’m speaking of is called UAC or User Account Control. Windows XP and even earlier versions would ask you “are you sure?” when deleting a file or enhancing a feature that is related to a security setting. It didn’t occur so much that it was that big of issue with most people but that is going to change with Vista. UAC is meant to prevent you from hurting your own security by asking you questions whether you really want to change a setting, open a particular file, or opening an email it deems to be a security risk. This of course isn’t a bad thing and will help many from doing the type of things that hurt them in the past. Where the concern arises is from you getting frustrated at this feature and either seeking to disable it or just saying yes to everything and anything. Here is the danger. Critics claim the feature is just too bothersome and complicated as well. If you ignore warnings you don’t understand you may inflict more damage than if the feature was not there.

Here is an angle that people don’t often consider. When you are doing the things you normally do and you run into malware. Microsoft worked with the National Security Agency to make improvements in Windows Vista. Millions of computers used by the government use some type of Microsoft products and it makes sense that Redmond and Washington work together to improve security. The complaints regarding the UAC feature of Vista will either prove a big issue early on after the release or will be something consumers learn to live with knowing everyone’s security benefits from the new feature. If consumers revolt it will provide a big opportunity for the antivirus companies to provide an interface that makes the feature easier to use and Symantec is giving press coverage to this very idea. If there is an easier way to manage this feature we all win.

Let us assume the antivirus companies do adapt their software to make all this easier there is another issue that will surface that could be another problem. The newer versions of antivirus software have by necessity gotten more complicated and occupy more space than before and one complaint I hear more than any is how after installing a new antivirus the computer slows down. Some brands are of course better than others, but by and large all brands use more memory and processor than before. The days of buying a system just for internet and buying a bargain machine are gone. You may be able to use your Windows XP machine for a couple more years but people really need to invest in a machine that can grow with their changing needs and not the bargain machine that doesn’t allow for upgrades. If the antivirus vendors fill the void of easier security management there is another reason for loading up on system memory to accommodate the added load.

In several of Steve’s recent articles he touched on Vista needing more power than the older versions and made suggestions as to what people need to consider in new systems. This security feature on Vista just drives home the point that there are many changes in the new operating system than what you will hear about in advertising and store displays. We are all tired of the spam, the viruses, the trojans, and the deceitful trying to trick us into divulging information that leads to identity theft and credit card fraud, but there is a price to pay for the added protection. You wouldn’t put a four cylinder engine in a fullsize pickup truck and you sure don’t want to buy a computer now that is substandard right before the new operating system hits the shelves later this month.