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Microsoft Denies Rumors of NSA Backdoor in Windows 7

Bart Salisbury — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:46:07 -0600

Someone was bound to connect the dots, even if the dots weren’t intended to make a pattern. With Microsoft working with the National Security Agency (NSA), the nation’s biggest, most top-secret spy agency, some suspicious were bound to be raised. But, not to worry, Microsoft assures us: It did not plant deep in Windows 7 code a backdoor for the NSA to spy on you.

Microsoft’s story is the NSA helped Microsoft with the “Security Compliance Management Toolkit.” The toolkit, which rolled out after Windows 7, allows enterprises, government agencies, and large-scale organizations the ability to manage levels of security risk beyond those of regular users. The NSA is a happy partner in such ventures because of its concerns for cybersecurity.

But there lurks behind the story the NSA’s need for gathering intelligence, which a backdoor into an OS would greatly aid. Cisco, for example, has built into it’s products, such as its Internetworking Operating system (ISO) and VoIP lines, lawful intercept capabilities. (Which require a court order.) It’s not a big leap to conclude that perhaps Microsoft might have done the same.

Some have questioned the wisdom of Microsoft’s working with the NSA, including Marc Rothenberg, the executive director of the Electronics Privacy Information Center (EPIC). Said Rothenberg: “The key problem is that NSA has a dual mission, COMPUSEC, computer security, now called cyber security, and SIGINT, signals intelligence, in other words surveillance.” He added that it might be tough for any company, even Microsoft, to turn down an NSA “suggestion” for a backdoor.

Roger Thompson, chief research officer of AVG, sides with Microsoft. “I can't imagine NSA and Microsoft would do anything deliberate, because the repercussions would be enormous if they got caught,” said Thompson.

For now, Microsoft says it isn’t there. Whether that curbs your paranoia or not is another matter entirely.

Image Credit: RussellReno/Flickr

SSDs with TRIM Support

The Maximum PC Staff — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:30:29 -0600

I’m looking to get a new SSD for my laptop when Windows 7 comes out, and I just read a review on Newegg warning about a drive not supporting Win7’s TRIM feature. A Google search gave me the basics on TRIM, but how important is it, really? I’m having trouble finding which drives support it and am wondering if I should wait before pulling the trigger.

I use my laptop for home and work, so I’d really like to do a clean install on a new drive (for restoration purposes when I really screw something up) and it seems like a perfect time to make the switch. I’m also moving from 32-bit Vista to 64-bit Windows 7, so—as I understand it—I need to wipe regardless.

—Steve Wale

Think of TRIM as a garbage collector for your SSD. Normally, when you delete data on a disk, whether SSD or standard magnetic hard drive, the data isn’t immediately scrubbed. Instead, it’s marked as overwriteable, so when the disk runs out of fresh blocks to write to, it goes back and writes over deleted files. But given the way SSDs store data, this can decrease your drive’s performance once there are no more fresh blocks to write to. To write data to a block, an SSD first has to copy the entire block to cache, wipe it, delete the overwriteable sectors in cache, write in the new data (in cache), and rewrite the entire block to the disk. This can lead to slowdowns. Essentially, TRIM scrubs blocks of deleted data when it’s deleted, and makes sure the disk controller knows they’re blank, speeding up the whole process and making sure your drive’s performance doesn’t degrade over time.

At press time, only a few SSDs have TRIM support (including the OCZ Vertex and Patriot Torqx) but several ship with wiper.exe, a TRIM-like command that helps restore performance. We expect more SSD vendors to release TRIM in firmware upgrades as Windows 7 gets closer to release.

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Power Pack 3 to Enhance Windows Home Server on Nov 24

Ryan Whitwam — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:36:26 -0600

If you run a Windows Home Server, you can look forward to November 24th when Microsoft will be releasing Home Server Power Pack 3. It will be pushed out to all current users via Windows Update. While it is a somewhat major update, it will install automatically if you have Windows Update configured to install patches itself.

Power Pack 3 makes a number of improvements to the system. Users can expect Windows 7 enhancements relating to backup and restore of Windows 7 PCs, Windows 7 Libraries integration, enhancements for Windows 7 Media Center. There will also be better support for netbook computers.

Most of the upgrades seem to Windows 7 related, but some improvements to TV recording are there as well. Recorded TV can be automatically archived on Home Server Power Pack 3. Microsoft is also including an improved console view. Overall, it looks to be a nice update. Let us know how it goes when you get it.

Ballmer: Windows 7 Off to "Fantastic Start"

Pulkit Chandna — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:09:59 -0600

Windows 7 is the best PC operating system ever, according to Steve Ballmer. "We've already sold twice as many units as any OS in a comparable time frame," an exultant Ballmer informed shareholders at a meeting on Thursday.

Its latest operating system has helped the company obscure the spectre of Vista's failure. A couple of NPD reports published during the past fortnight indicate that Windows 7 has so far surpassed Vista in terms of sales, revenue, and adoption rate.

One shareholder apparently became the face of moderation for a bit during the meeting when he questioned Ballmer about Apple's huge popularity with the younger generation. Ballmer admitted that there is some room for improvement. But on the whole, he seemed satisfied with the fact that Windows is by far the most popular OS in the world.

The NSA has been Working with Microsoft on Windows 7 Security

Paul Lilly — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:15:01 -0600

With the release of its latest OS, Microsoft appears to have put security at the forefront of the design phase. So much so that the National Security Agency (NSA) had a hand in helping the software maker lock down its operating system, a senior NSA official said on Tuesday.

"Working in partnership with Microsoft and [the Department of Defense], NSA leveraged our unique expertise and operational knowledge of system threats and vulnerabilities to enhance Microsoft's operating system security guide without constraining the user's ability to perform their everyday tasks," Richard Schaeffer, the NSA's Information Assurance Director, told the Senate Judiciary Committee in a statement prepared for a hearing held in Washington. "All this was done in coordination with the product release, not months or years later in the product cycle."

The NSA and Microsoft working together is not exactly a new venture. Back in 2007, NSA officials confirmed they had also lent a hand during the development of VIsta, but the collaboration goes even further back. In 2005, the NSA and other government agencies assisted Microsoft in securing Windows XP and other programs.

Of course, the NSA is probably best known for its electronic eavesdropping operations, and we can't wait to see what the conspiracy theorists have to say about the organization's involvement with Windows.

AT&T Adds Two Windows 7 Starter Netbooks to Subsidized Lineup

Ryan Whitwam — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:35:58 -0600

AT&T has just started selling a handsome pair of 3G equipped netbooks running Windows 7 Starter. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with the Acer Aspire One, or the Samsung Go, the value proposition here isn’t the best.

Each unit will set you back $199 after a mail-in rebate and new two-year agreement. Factor in the cost of data, and things start looking bleak. AT&T offers a $35 per month plan with a laughable 200MB monthly data cap. The more expensive $60 per month plan has a more reasonable 5GB monthly limit. It works out to a total cost of $1,639 over the two years. Now consider that it’s only running Windows 7 Starter, meaning you’re missing some of the neat Windows 7 features like Media Center and well… changing the wallpaper.

The value may not be great, but if you need a netbook with built in 3G, these are fine machines. Alternatively, you could just opt for a USB data card and cheap netbook from elsewhere. Better yet, wait for Pine Trail based netbooks to make the scene. Is anyone planning on swinging by the local AT&T store to investigate further? Maybe take that Windows Anytime Upgrade for a spin?

Sneaky Windows 7 Zero-Day Bug Confirmed

Paul Lilly — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:04:24 -0600

It was reported that just a day after Microsoft squashed a dozen bugs in its software, there remained an unpatched bug in Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 capable of locking up systems and forcing a complete shutdown in order to regain control. Turns out the report was true, as Microsoft Friday evening confirmed that the unpatched vulnerability does indeed exist.

"Microsoft is aware of public, detailed exploit code that would cause a system to stop functioning or become unreliable," Dave Forstrom, a spokesman for Microsoft security group, said in an email. "The company is not aware of attacks to exploit the reported vulnerability at this time."

In theory, the attacks could be targeted towards any browser. Should a user be tricked into visiting a malicious site, hackers could send out tainted URIs (uniform resource identifiers) and crash their PCs.

Microsoft didn't give a time frame on when it will patch the bug. In the meantime, users can stay protected by blocking TCP ports 139 and 445 at the firewall, although doing so would also disable browsers and a host of critical services, including network file-sharing and IT group policies, ComputerWorld reports.

Image Credit: Microsoft

Windows 7 OEM EULA Excludes Home Builds not for Resale

Justin Kerr — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:58:12 -0600

Whenever we recommend a build list for new systems, we inevitably turn to Windows OEM editions for the OS. They are bit for bit just as powerful as their retail cousins, but may require a bit of telephone tag with Microsoft when upgrading and you were stuck with nobody to call if you need support. Overall the experience wasn't so bad given the discount, but an important, albeit subtle change in the Windows 7 EULA could permanently alter this recommendation. The specific clause found in prior OEM editions of Windows is as follows:

"OEM system builder software packs are intended for PC and server manufacturers or assemblers ONLY. They are not intended for distribution to end users. Unless the end user is actually assembling his/her own PC, in which case, that end user is considered a system builder as well."

As you can see from the above passage, prior versions clearly made allowance for those that assembled their own system, sadly, this is no longer the case in Windows 7. Assuming this isn't a mistake (and when do lawyers ever make mistakes), then Windows 7 OEM editions can legally only be installed on machines you intend to sell. I suppose you could always pawn off your new machine to a family member for a song, then politely ask them to return it, but Microsoft clearly wants to push more home users over to the retail edition.

You can still buy OEM editions as easily as before from online retailers such as Newegg, but if your moral compass points true north, you'll need to buy retail editions on new systems you aren't selling from now on. Will this stop you from using OEM editions?

(Image Credit: winsupersite.com)