Sunbeltblog comments
Yet another reason why I wouldn't use Agnitum soft.
I would rather disagree on certain points they brought up. First, Microsoft spent a lot of money on security during last years and although the security mechanisms and malware detection capabilities seemed to be more centralized in Vista/Longhorn it does not necessarily means that hacker's life will be easier due to the fact that instead of finding holes in say Symantec's or Trend Micro products they will deal with Microsoft only and the reason is that MS won't spend THAT amount of money on security to give it up. In XP times most of security problems were caused by compatibility issues (there are other reasons too, I admit that). It was extrememy hard to bring up a new OS to live and make it perfectly secure without taking in account compatibility issues.
As for Kernel - everybody knows that on any OS kernel is and will be vulnerable because of its architecture. No one has invented a perfect kernel architecture yet.
Thats why I don't like the people down at Agnitum. They don't try to be fair or try to see both sides. They just do whatever it takes to sell their product.
Unlike with the Sunbelt blog, whereby the authors - Alex, Deb and the antispyware researchers - all give a fair view, even if it may not be promoting their own product.
Don't you just love the end of the article? "We believe Microsoft owes users a better solution".
Well I did not notice the guys at Agnitum coming up with anything. I would not mind if they criticised and said "do this and this, to solve this problem". Instead all they do is criticize everything that Microsoft do WITHOUT giving an alterior solution.
No doubt, later on when a new security flaws in Vista are found, they will be the first on the band wagon saying "They left big security flaws in the OS" after they are found by others. Not them, detecting them before hand while its in the beta stage, so microsoft can fix it. Funny how that always seems to happen is it not? Could there be a tint of self interest? They don't care about the end users, or protecting them or making them secure. They would not be happy if all Spyware was banished tommorow, as all they want is your money.
So typical. So Stupid. So sad.
Another article covering Agnitum's thoughts.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/200...ty_controversy/
Agnitum’s technical brief about Microsoft’s approach to Kernel Patch Protection has sparked intense discussion at Alex Eckelberry’s blog.
May we participate in the debate?
The new approach to kernel patch protection is designed to block rootkits. That's progress. However, ironically, it also prevents the installation of third-party security software from Agnitum, and Zone Labs, and McAfee, and Symantec, and other companies. This is not progress. History proves we should not rely on Microsoft and only Microsoft for operating-system security.
There are thousands of companies that rely on access to the Windows kernel -- and we should not be forced to rely on tools and tactics used by malicious hackers. And we do not believe Microsoft should improve security by opening the kernel to attack by hackers.
Agnitum offers a better solution for Microsoft vulnerabilities. It is Outpost Firewall Pro, a software firewall that protects users from Windows vulnerabilities that Microsoft can’t really fix. In mid August we plan to launch Outpost Firewall Pro 4.0 – a new age of firewalls that will have many anti-theft technologies and that will protect against all known information leaks (tested with “leak tests”).
The decision to publish our recent findings was aimed at bringing attention to Microsoft actions that will affect thousands of companies who need to use the Windows kernel to make their software work.
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