14 DAY TRIAL // With its latest operating system Windows Vista Microsoft has set out on a course to redefine the user boundaries inside the operating system. Although it is designed to enhance security and to reduce the attack exposure of Windows Vista, Microsoft has presented contradictory perspectives on the User Account Control. While having focused UAC on delivering an extra layer of protection to the system level, the Redmond Company has also adopted the view that the User Account Control is not a security feature. "User Account Control offers a new approach to improving computer security, by fundamentally changing the way applications interact with an operating system and its files. When running in standard user mode, organizations and users are less likely to be impacted by system-level malware," Microsoft informed.
But mainly UAC was tailor fitted on Microsoft's overall vision of security and designed to make standard user privileges as well, a standard of the operating system. "Windows Vista provides a simple and secure mechanism for running end-user accounts with standard user privileges, while eliminating the need for administrator privileges when performing many common tasks, such as installing a printer driver or connecting to a secure wireless network. This fundamental shift provides security at the OS level by preventing malware and root kits from damaging company-wide files and settings," Miclrosoft added in the UAC's description.
But the changes to the user privilege hierarchy have also generated inherent conflicts with applications, services and tasks not designed to manage low privileges. Still Microsoft will not provide a resolve for this. Instead the Redmond Company expects users and developers to adapt to Windows Vista and to UAC and not the other way around. This is why Microsoft is now offering as a free download the Windows Vista UAC Demo Sample Code. "Windows User Account Control (UAC) is a new security feature in the Windows Vista operating system. This demo sample code shows how to develop using least privilege leveraging User Account Control," the company said.
The Windows Vista UAC Demo Sample Code requires Windows Vista, Windows Vista Software Development Kit and .NET Framework Version 2.0, and it will permit developers to create software for the operating system using Vista's user privilege architecture.