I did it! (also known as the June TechNet Magazine)

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One of the best parts of working at Microsoft is the amazing discussions and debates that take place on our internal Discussion Lists.  A few months ago, the greatest security minds at Microsoft were undergoing a hot and heavy debate on Security by Obscurity.  Does it make sense to rename the Administrator account?  Change the listening port for well known services such as SQL?  In the midst of my debate, I courageously joined the discussion with my opinion...

"Hey! This debate would make for a great story in TechNet Magazine!"

One thing led to another, their people talked to... someone else's people, and before you knew it... Voila!  Roger Grimes, Jesper Johansson, Steve Riley, and Aaron Margosis are duking it out in the cover story of the June TechNet.  Good times!

image June 2008

Security: The Great Debate: Security by Obscurity

Security by obscurity involves taking measures that don't remove an attack vector but instead conceal it. Some argue that this is a bad practice while others claim that as part of a larger strategy, every bit counts. The debate is quite heated, and some of our finest security experts face off, explaining security by obscurity and presenting both sides of the debate. Jesper M. Johansson and Roger Grimes

Security: New Elevation PowerToys for Windows Vista

Michael Murgolo is back with an update to his Elevation PowerToys. You'll find enhanced Run as Administrator functionality that works with third-party scripting tools, a way to replace a handy Windows XP feature removed from Windows Vista, and many more useful tools. Michael Murgolo

Security: Advances in BitLocker Drive Encryption

Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 introduce important changes to BitLocker, including support for data volumes and improved protection against cryptographic attacks. Byron Hynes explores the new features, demonstrates how to use BitLocker on a server, and discusses some of the recent media coverage affecting BitLocker. Byron Hynes

Security: Application Lockdown with Software Restriction Policies

When you want to reduce the total cost of ownership of the desktop machines in your organization, application lockdown can be a great help, letting you limit IT issues related to unsupported applications. See how you can use software restriction policies and Group Policy to control the applications being run throughout your IT infrastructure. Chris Corio and Durga Prasad Sayana

Security: Managing the Windows Vista Firewall

The recent update to the Windows Vista Firewall offers some impressive new features that make it a compelling choice for the corporate environment. Jesper Johansson gives a brief overview of the evolution of the Windows Firewall and delves into enhancements—such as new rules and profiles, domain isolation, and encryption—that will have administrators taking a closer look. Jesper M. Johansson

Security: Secure E-Mail Using Digital Certificates

Secure Multi-Purpose Internet Mail Extensions let you hide information in transit, validate senders, and authenticate messages. Learn how to secure e-mail using digital certificates and how to troubleshoot problems you may encounter on your S/MIME system. Matt Clapham and Blake Hutchinson