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New Message on MumbaiUserGroup
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From: Mukesh_Windows2003
Message 2 in Discussion
Hi All, Last Week I downloaded Windows XP SP2 Technical Preview and yesterday i had
a look at it. Some of the very highlighting features are as follows.
Security Center. A new front-end, or dashboard, to XP's security features, it includes
Automatic Updates, Windows Firewall, and Virus protection. Microsoft doesn't offer any
antivirus protection software directly, but i read on the internet that Security
Center integrates with third party software such as McAfee VirusScan.
Windows Firewall. The new Windows Firewall replaces Internet Connection Firewall (ICF)
and is ON by default. Windows Firewall boasts several new administration-related
features, including a
Full set of configuration options, Active Directory (AD) administration
capabilities through Group Policy, Command-line support that's compatible with
logon scripts and remote management, Multiple-profile support, and It is also
enabled earlier in the boot process, eliminating the possibility that intruders could
insert errant code over a network before the system fully comes up.
Internet Explorer Security Improvements. XP SP2 provides an improved Microsoft
Internet Explorer (IE) version that contains several new features. A new opt-in pop-up
ad blocking feature announces itself the first time you access a page that tries to
open a pop-up window. (IE won't block pop-ups you enable by clicking a hyperlink.)
This feature is configurable, so you can create a list of trusted sites if needed. The
new IE also removes the capability of Web sites to open child windows that have
certain features removed. For example, it's no longer possible to open a pop-up window
with the address bar, title bar, status bar, or toolbars removed. Microsoft added this
feature so that users can close any pop-up windows that do open. Furthermore, scripts
can't position windows so that the title bar or address bar are above the top of the
display or so the window's status bar is below the bottom of the display. IE also
includes a new locked-down Local Machine security zone to help prevent malicious
scripts and other dangerous Web downloads from compromising the system.
Microsoft has also overhauled IE's add-on subsystem, a move that will require plug-in
makers to revamp their products. The end result, however, is better safety for users.
Inadvertently installing spyware or malicious ActiveX controls will now be more
difficult, and the programs will also be easier to remove. The add-on manager also
monitors IE crashes caused by add-ons, letting you disable unstable add-ons. Perhaps
most important, the IE add-on manager is fully manageable: You can centrally configure
IE's crash-management options and which add-ons are allowed or denied.
Outlook Express and Windows Messenger improvements. The Microsoft Outlook Express
version in XP SP2 includes more secure default settings and isolation of potentially
unsafe attachments, helping to ensure that email-borne attacks can't affect the
system. Outlook Express also picks up a neat feature from Microsoft Office Outlook
2003: It won't download images in HTML email by default (spammers often use tracking
devices in HTML images to ensure you're getting their email). Like Outlook Express,
the Windows Messenger version included with XP SP2 isolates any transferred files that
might be unsafe.
Memory protection. Over the years, an amazing number of buffer overrun errors have
been at the root of various Windows compromises. Although Microsoft sought to find and
remove any potential exploits during its infamous 2002 Trustworthy Computing code
review, many problems remain. So XP SP2 includes several new security technologies,
originally designed for Windows Longhorn, that battle buffer overruns. Some of these
changes are software based and will aid all XP users; others require the new "no
execute" (NX) microprocessor feature that's built in to all modern Intel and AMD
microprocessors. The NX feature uses the computer's microprocessor to separate
application code from data, ensuring that an electronic attack won't be able to insert
virulent code into memory reserved for data.
New Windows Update. XP SP2 connects to a new version of Windows Update, which offers a
convenient Express Install feature that automatically selects and installs all
critical updates. You can also use a new optional updates section to choose features,
including software updates (e.g., Microsoft Windows Movie Maker 2, Microsoft Windows
Journal Viewer) and system-specific drivers. XP SP2 contains many other
computer-maintenance-related technologies, no detail documentation is available right
now but i read that, Microsoft says it will document them in the future.
Network attack protection. In addition to the new ICF version, XP SP2 includes a
refined version of the remote procedure call (RPC) technology, which reduces the
attack surface of XP machines attached to remote resources. RPC also runs under
reduced privileges in XP SP2, reducing the chance that errant code can gain a foothold
in your system and cause problems.
For the detail reading on Changes to Functionality in Microsoft Windows XP Service
Pack 2 Please visit the following URL
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=7bd948d7-b791-40b6-8364-685b84158c78&DisplayLang=en
Also when I went through the above given documentation i found that it also tells
the developers how it will affect there existing codes and what they need to change
and how can they use new API's to build there codes compatible to the service pack.
Regards, Mukesh N. Shende.
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