Longhorn security gets its teeth kicked out

[scuzzman]

Microsoft has further watered down the Next Generation Secure Computing Base (NGSCB) technology that will ship with its forthcoming Longhorn operating system.

Many systems which Microsoft claims are "Longhorn ready" will not be able to support the security technology, vnunet.com has learned, and only part of the original security vision will be ready in time for the operating system's launch.

"With the Longhorn launch we are delivering the first part of NGSCB: Secure Startup," Jim Allchin, Microsoft's group vice president for platforms, told vnunet.com at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) in Seattle. "Not all of the compartmentisation technology will be available. The main thing is Secure Startup."

Secure Startup protects users against offline attacks, blocking access to the computer if the content of the hard drive is compromised. This prevents a laptop thief from booting up the system from a floppy disk to circumvent security features or swapping out the hard drive.

Microsoft unveiled NGSCB, formerly codenamed Palladium, in 2002, and published a beta in October 2003. The security technology has since undergone several changes.

The company originally planned for the technology to deliver a rigid level of security, creating physical separations between applications.

It was designed to prevent a virus from entering the operating system through the browser and making its way to the email application to further spread itself.

The technology used a newly developed software component called a 'nexus' to shield applications from each other and the operating system. A chip, the Trusted Platform Module (TPM), is used to encrypt data streams between the operating system and applications.

The original plans required users to purchase new hardware and software. Last year at WinHEC Microsoft reversed that decision.

Instead of shielding individual applications, the technology would create secure compartments for elements such as the operating system, computing tasks and administration and management.

Although initially intended to ship as part of Longhorn, the secure compartments have now been pulled from the platform and will be released later.

Original story here.