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| Windows XP Service Pack 2 In The Real World |
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In The News July 2004 • Vol.2 Issue 7 Page(s) 14-15 in print issue |
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Windows XP Service Pack 2 In The Real World Scot's Take |
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The most visible feature in RC1 is the WSC (Windows Security Center) Control Panel applet. As I explained last month, WSC is designed to monitor three important security aspects of your computer: firewall protection, Automatic Updates, and virus protection. Microsoft designed WSC for people who don't know about or want to know about firewalls, security updates, and antivirus programs. Because many WinXP users don't know everything they need to know in order to manage these important security areas, the underlying idea behind WSC is a good one. And if you know enough to manage these things yourself, you can configure the WSC to get out of your way. The problem with the first public WSC version, and the reason why I consider it to need serious improvement, is that it's not very good at detecting third-party firewall and antivirus products. And when such products go undetected, even though they're properly installed and maintained, the WSC's dire warnings about lack of protection could just frustrate people. For example, the two most widely used desktop security products are Zone Labs' ZoneAlarm and Symantec's Norton AntiVirus. RC1 doesn't properly detect either one. In fact, of the eight firewalls and eight antivirus products I tested with RC1, the detection success rate was less than 50% (refer to the sidebar for specific results). RC1 does not properly detect security products such as Kaspersky's Anti-Virus, Grisoft's AVG, Panda Software's Titanium Antivirus, Sygate's Managed Personal Firewall, and Agnitum's Outpost Firewall Pro. Developers often design security software purposely to keep other software from detecting it because when crackers or malware can determine which security program they're up against, the job of cracking a PC's defenses gets easier. If WinXP SP2, which will come preinstalled on new PCs later this year, were to ship with WSC working as it does in RC1, Windows would needlessly scare a lot of people. Microsoft will almost certainly address this problem by fixing WinXP SP2 to recognize the most popular firewall and antivirus products. In fact, it's very possible that Release Candidate 2, which should be available by the time you read this, will show a marked improvement in WSC's ability to properly detect a larger number of security products. But you can bet I'm going to be testing it to be sure.  Another Hassle RC1 also has the annoying habit of checking for, downloading, and automatically installing security patches when you shut down your computer. So in other words, you turn off your computer and it might take another five, 10, 20 minutes or three hours (depending on your Internet connection) to shut down because it's busy downloading and installing patches. This behavior can even occur when you haven't given the Automatic Updates feature permission to automatically download patches and even if you've selected the Notify Me But Don't Download Or Install Security Patches option. Even though there are good reasons for this and Microsoft has provided workarounds to it, the potential for misunderstanding is so high that I believe it's ill-advised functionality that Microsoft should strongly reconsider. If you choose the Automatic Updates options to disable Auto Updates entirely, you won't encounter background download of patches during shutdown. In other words, you won't be annoyed, but your machine will also not be fully protected. So let's hope this shutdown patch-install feature doesn't drive more people to disable Auto Updates entirely. All three of the other Automatic Updates options permit the shutdown patch-install behavior. Even if you configure Automatic Updates to automatically download and install patches, RC1 will still try to download and install patches when your PC shuts down. That option has a scheduled install, and I guess the thinking is if you're turning off your machine, then you might miss the scheduled installation time. There is, of course, a way to defeat the shutdown patch-installation behavior. On the Turn Off Computer dialog box that pops up when you choose Shutdown from the Start menu, you'll have to train yourself not to choose Turn Off. Instead, read the fine print below the large buttons and click the hyperlink that reads Click Here To Turn Off Without Installing Updates. All in all, Microsoft is trying to ensure that people who don't go with the fully automatic update options are still going to be protected. That might be an acceptable notion. But this particular way of making that happen goes too far and achieves the opposite effect: A lot of us may just entirely disable Automatic Updates out of disgust. And that would not be a good thing. And Something Cool Among the many under-the-covers security improvements in WinXP SP2 are some far more nailed-down Internet Explorer security settings, including stricter default ActiveX permissions. As I've mentioned in past installments of this column, there's also a new IE pop-up blocker that's turned on by default. However, as a result of those two things, a whole lot of cool Web sites out there don't function properly. McAfee Security's online application download and installation services, for example, require both less-aggressive ActiveX settings and permission to open pop-ups. Microsoft's solution for this problem is smart. When WinXP SP2's version of IE blocks a pop-up or an ActiveX window, a message area opens up across the browser window between the toolbar and the Web page. The message tells you that something was blocked, and if you click it, a pop-up menu offers the option to permit the blocked action one time or only for the Web site you're currently visiting. The result is that the new, more staunch security settings generally remain in effect, but you can still access Web sites that were designed for less secure browsers. This is a useful compromise. So those are some of the pluses and minuses of WinXP SP2 RC1. Let's hope Microsoft improves on the negatives. Some readers may recall that last time I promised an acid test review of WinXP SP2 in this issue of PC Today. After working with RC1, I realized it wasn't ready for prime time. It might even be missing some features. As a result, we decided to hold the full-blown review. But I'll still write that very soon, so please look for it in an upcoming issue.  Scot Finnie is the editor of SecurityPipeline.com, editor at TechWeb.com, and the author of ScotsNewsletter.com. He was managing editor at Windows Magazine for several years before it ceased operation and served as editor for several other computing publications, as well. Scot has written scores of articles for various magazines and Web sites, mostly about Windows, security, and Internet topics. Catch up with Scot at the Web site for his email newsletter (www.scotsnewsletter.com), or send him feedback at scot@pctoday.com. |
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