David E. Myers' Blog ( www.DavidEMyers.com )

OWSUG June 3rd Event: Windows 7 Security Tidbits & Understanding and Preventing Insider Threat

Topic:  Windows 7 Security Tidbits & Understanding and Preventing Insider Threat

Windows 7 Security Tidbits - Windows 7 is coming and the boss is asking you about all those new security features. Perhaps you've heard some buzz about AppLocker? What’s this about DirectAccess connecting securely to your corporate network without a VPN?  What’s up with BitlLocker To Go? In this fun and interactive session, Kai Axford, a Microsoft Senior Security Strategist with Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing team, will demonstrate some of the new security features in Microsoft's newest desktop operating system. Bring your questions and get the scoop on these upcoming Microsoft security technologies!

Understanding and Preventing Insider Threat – Many analysts have stated that the Number One issue facing corporate customers today is the threat of targeted corporate espionage coming from within the organization. Join Kai Axford, a security strategist from the Microsoft Trustworthy Computing team for an entertaining and engaging session, as he shares real stories from the trenches about the risk this threat presents for both you and your customers. He’ll demo the means by which these attacks occur and discuss the mindset of the attackers. Don’t miss the chance to see how this is done!

Speaker:  Kai Axford, Microsoft Trustworthy Computing Group

Kai Axford (CISSP, MCSE-Security) is a Senior Security Strategist in Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing Group.  A ten-year Microsoft veteran, Kai is responsible for discussing and recommending security solutions for both private and public sector organizations. In addition, he conducts Chief Security Officer councils worldwide, taking executive feedback and affecting change within Microsoft’s security products and processes.

Kai started with Microsoft in 1999 as a Server Support Engineer and then moved on to become an IT Pro Evangelist, focusing on his peers through the Microsoft TechNet Events program. Kai has delivered more than 300 security presentations on a variety of topics, including digital forensics, security management, incident response, and computer espionage. He is a frequent speaker at security conferences, executive meetings, and business seminars around the world.

He is finishing an MBA in Information Assurance and is a member of ISSA, INFRAGARD, ASIS, and the North Texas Electronic Crimes Task Force. He was the recipient of the 2006 “Rising Star” award from the Information Security Executive council. Kai is interested in security management and hopes to become a Chief Security Officer one day.

Prior to Microsoft, Kai served as a leader in several real-world operations with the U.S. Army's elite 75th Ranger Regiment. Originally from Wisconsin, Kai is a huge NFL Green Bay Packers fan.  He is based in Dallas, Texas with his lovely wife, a new baby boy, and a (very wet) yellow Labrador.

Agenda:

5:00 p.m.  Event registration
5:30 p.m.  Q & A
8:00 p.m.  Door Prizes

Notes:

• Pizza and Pop will be served, Please RSVP to help us order enough of both.
• Please note that no one will be admitted after 5:55 p.m.!

RSVP: http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=138491

Windows 7 Experience, Change, and Features I Like (Part 1)

I’ve been using Windows 7 for a while now and I have to say that like others have already said the performance improvements over Vista are fantastic.  Beyond the obvious features that jump out at you like the change to the task bar and application switching, I’ve found a lot of little touches that I was looking for in Vista.  Collectively these improvements add to my productivity and overall satisfaction with the product.

Personally I like to keep up with the technology changes and not try and stay stuck with my way of working.  In my conversations with others in the IT profession I find that much of the resistance to change comes from power users.  They are used to the product working one way and do not like it when something changes, even if it makes the product easier to understand or work with as a new user.  I’m a bit more understanding… if it is a case where change has been made just for the sake of change then I’m not a fan, but if there is some improvement to usability or reduction in the learning curve then I would rather adapt my outlook than resist the change.

Take the start menu for instance.  When our organization was making the change from Windows 98 SE to Windows XP the corporate image was setup to use the classic start menu.  I resisted the instinct to avoid change and started using the new version.  From my perspective change is inevitable and it is much easier to deal with when you take a proactive approach.  I can understand the idea of a controlled release of change so that end users are not overwhelmed but I don’t agree with sticking to the old approach until it is removed from the product.  Many of the product changes directly drive productivity improvements so the net benefit to the organization comes when people leverage them.

Okay enough about philosophy and on to the goodies… here is one of the new features I like:

1. Run as different user

With the changes introduced in Windows Vista related to UAC (user account control) the previous ‘Run As’ command had been replaced with ‘Run as administrator’.  The reasoning behind this was to allow the person to run their everyday applications with a ‘Standard’ user account and then elevate their privileges to use the ‘Administrator’ token.  This option is still available under Windows 7 and look like this:

Great!  I get the concept, but my problem is that in a domain environment I am using one domain account as my standard user and a separate domain account for SQL Server administration.  If I want to run a single program on my machine as the other domain account I was relegated to writing a batch file to use the command line runas:

Okay, so this wasn’t a show stopper.  I was able to write a batch file to launch SQL Server Management Studio so that I could make a Windows Authentication connection to the database server and avoid using a SQL Server login (that represents a different security compromise).  But for the more ad-hoc use of the run as feature it was annoying!

Well, I guess I wasn’t the only one annoyed with this.  To my pleasant surprise their is a new addition to the context menu if you hold down SHIFT when you right click the icon - Run as different user:

Awesome!  Now I get this wonderful dialog box when I select it:

Okay, so maybe this isn’t earth shattering stuff… but it is the kind improvements that add up to gains in overall efficiency!

2. Sliding Remote Desktop Client Menu Bar

I use the remote desktop client a lot.  In fact I even use it to connect 100% of the time from my laptop to my workstation at the office.  I travel a lot and take my laptop to conferences and user group events so I like to avoid ever having any confidential documents on the machine.  Even with technologies like BitLocker I am paranoid and prefer to not take the risk.  End result is that I’m spending nearly 100% of my time in an RDP session in full screen mode, often with additional nested RDP sessions running on the office workstation which are also running in full screen mode.  The end result is a set of overlapping menu bars:

   

(machine names removed to protect the innocent :) )

Now I find that the menu bar for the Windows 7 RDP connection (in blue) can slide to any position across the top of the screen.  This allows you to see the connection details of the second RDP session that would normally be hidden underneath the top menu bar:

 

Okay, again not a major new feature but it is a welcome one.  Stay tuned for more Windows 7 feature details as I get a chance to blog about them.