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Windows 10 release - comments from Webroot
July 2015 by Webroot
“The release of Windows 10 brings a number of security upgrades that look good on paper, but as with all new products to market, it is advisable that organisations carefully plan any upgrades. Thorough testing of all applications and use cases will help mitigate compatibility issues and allow time for the inevitable bugs to be fixed, therefore reducing the risk to the organisation.
“The Identity Protection and Access Control feature is likely to make a big difference to all users as it brings two-factor authentication to the masses. This update means that attackers would need access to a user’s device as well as the user’s password or even fingerprint to achieve successful authentication.
“Microsoft has clearly considered the rise in BYOD by introducing the Data Loss Prevention (DLP) feature. Through enabling the containerisation of applications and encryption of corporate data as soon as it arrives on the device, it is far harder for sensitive company information to fall into the wrong hands, whether this is by accident or through a targeted attack. Application-specific VPN connectivity is also a huge step forward in reducing risk exposure on compromised devices.
“Although the capability of whitelisting applications has existed in Windows for many years, Microsoft is finally embracing this and are giving IT administrators the tools they need to achieve a real-world corporate application whitelisting deployment. This single step could almost eradicate the risk of infection through standalone malware executables, leaving only highly advanced attack vectors remaining for exploitation.”
