SophosLabs: Windows 7 security still needs to be tightly guarded

SophosLabs recently said that they installed Windows 7 on a bare metal computer and configured it according to the User Account Control (UAC) system default, but did not install anti-virus software. Then enter 10 virus samples and found that 8 viruses can attack Windows 7 vulnerabilities.

SophosLabs security consultant Chester Wisniewski said that UAC did intercept one of the virus samples. In any case, like his previous warning, the default configuration of Windows 7 UAC does not protect PCs from viruses. Windows 7 Not as secure as Microsoft claims. Wisniewski believes that Windows 7 is as disappointing as the previous Windows operating system.

However, Microsoft immediately refuted this statement on Friday (11/6). Paul Cooke, director of corporate security at Microsoft's Windows client, said that the unofficial testing of SophosLabs was not convincing at all. This test only proves that if a user executes an unknown program on a computer, bad things happen. Because most users do not perform known viruses on their computers, they should enter the system through applications such as browsers or emails, so he absolutely agrees that anti-virus software is a requirement for protecting personal computers.

Cooke explains the security architecture of Windows 7, pointing out that it is built on the security platform of Windows Vista, including a defense-in-depth mechanism to protect customers from malware. Features such as UAC functionality, core patch protection, window service enhancements, random address space orchestration (ASLR), and data execution protection (DEP) allow Windows 7 to maintain and tune various development processes, including through the security development cycle. And the technology that makes Windows Vista the safest window operating system ever.

In addition, Windows 7 makes it harder for malware to reach users' computers in the first place. For example, SmartScreen in IE 8 can filter phishing and malware, which will remind users to download. The software is not secure, but SophosLabs' test method completely ignores this feature.

Cooke also hinted that this is a sensational report, used to sell more manufacturers' own software, he agreed to still need to implement anti-virus software on Windows 7, and this is why Microsoft wants to provide free Microsoft Security The reason for Essentials, in addition, he also recommends that users use the automatic update mechanism to keep the software up to date and reduce possible security threats.