4 ms·

There have been some pretty significant under-the-hood security upgrades in each new version of Windows. So while the UI changes are what users notice, the new

by IvyMike 11y ago

There have been some pretty significant under-the-hood security upgrades in each new version of Windows. So while the UI changes are what users notice, the new security features are probably the more important reason to upgrade.

makecheck 11y ago
That's a fundamental architecture problem with a lot of software: it's not possible to get most useful upgrades without accepting the rest of the changes. This is sad for security because people see things like "stupid UI changes" and they make upgrade decisions based on the parts of the change that are most visible instead of the parts that are most valuable. Software should probably be designed so that it can be distributed in a layered fashion. I shouldn't want "git cherry-pick" every time I click an Update button.
userbinator 11y ago
The security features seem to be more about protecting users from themselves and other users on the same machine than remote exploits though, which may be OK for "average users" and terminal-server type environments but definitely a negative for advanced users/developers who don't want the OS thinking it knows better than them, and are probably the only user. Remote exploits that don't require any user action (i.e. simply be connected to the network and get pwned) are the really important ones to worry about, but are thankfully very rare. Newer versions of Windows come with more network services that only add more, unknown, attack area; and they are seldom actually needed because I have no use for those features.
- brazzledazzle 11y ago
  Even power users are still vulnerable to exploits that are executed by a site you're visiting or image/video you're viewing. And exploits that take advantage of privilege escalation don't just protect multi-user systems, they protect you if you're running as a limited user or if you're using UAC. It's a scary world out there for everyone, even if you don't run plugins in your browsers.
- yardie 11y ago
  From a security standpoint advanced users are the worst. Most think they know how to protect their PC and they can handle the typical malware exploit. Then they get completely taken because some productivity tool they downloaded from the Internet gets hijacked (no code signing, no verification, no identification of the author). And these idiots want to run in privileged mode all the time. Could you imagine the outcry from Linux users if someone wanted to run as root all the time? Hell no! When I switched from programmer to admin I was basically handed binders of various laws (US, UK, EU primarily) on data security and the penalties when you screw up. Now I sit at the other side of the table and inform developers what they can and can't do with user data. I've never had to walk into the bosses office and say we have to call the police, someone has walked off with our users PIDs.

by IvyMike 11y ago

makecheck 11y ago

That's a fundamental architecture problem with a lot of software: it's not possible to get most useful upgrades without accepting the rest of the changes. This is sad for security because people see things like "stupid UI changes" and they make upgrade decisions based on the parts of the change that are most visible instead of the parts that are most valuable. Software should probably be designed so that it can be distributed in a layered fashion. I shouldn't want "git cherry-pick" every time I click an Update button.

userbinator 11y ago

The security features seem to be more about protecting users from themselves and other users on the same machine than remote exploits though, which may be OK for "average users" and terminal-server type environments but definitely a negative for advanced users/developers who don't want the OS thinking it knows better than them, and are probably the only user. Remote exploits that don't require any user action (i.e. simply be connected to the network and get pwned) are the really important ones to worry about, but are thankfully very rare. Newer versions of Windows come with more network services that only add more, unknown, attack area; and they are seldom actually needed because I have no use for those features.

brazzledazzle 11y ago
Even power users are still vulnerable to exploits that are executed by a site you're visiting or image/video you're viewing. And exploits that take advantage of privilege escalation don't just protect multi-user systems, they protect you if you're running as a limited user or if you're using UAC. It's a scary world out there for everyone, even if you don't run plugins in your browsers.
yardie 11y ago
From a security standpoint advanced users are the worst. Most think they know how to protect their PC and they can handle the typical malware exploit. Then they get completely taken because some productivity tool they downloaded from the Internet gets hijacked (no code signing, no verification, no identification of the author). And these idiots want to run in privileged mode all the time. Could you imagine the outcry from Linux users if someone wanted to run as root all the time? Hell no! When I switched from programmer to admin I was basically handed binders of various laws (US, UK, EU primarily) on data security and the penalties when you screw up. Now I sit at the other side of the table and inform developers what they can and can't do with user data. I've never had to walk into the bosses office and say we have to call the police, someone has walked off with our users PIDs.