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Windows Security Through Annoyances?

techmuse writes "According to News.com, Microsoft's next version of Windows will let you know that you are looking at (supposedly) secure data by putting personalized text, such as the names of your dogs (a null list in my case), in window borders, and will also hide the data unless the window has no others on top of it. That should make it very usable, and speed adoption of security features -- especially among people who need to be able to see the data in two partially overlapping windows at once."

12 of 387 comments (clear)

  1. Prevent attacks? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Information on secured windows will vanish if another window is placed on top of it or shifted to the background. Erasing the information will prevent certain types of attacks and remind people that they're dealing with confidential material, Biddle said

    What kinds of attacks would those be? The over the shoulder snoop sort?

    1. Re:Prevent attacks? by sTavvy · · Score: 5, Funny

      good if your looking at p0rn at work, and the boss walks past though!

  2. How does Microsoft know my dogs' names? by JoshuaDFranklin · · Score: 5, Funny

    So to use this new super-secure Windows I'll have to type in huge lists of information that is boring to me?

  3. Vanishing Windows by TubeSteak · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Information on secured windows will vanish if another window is placed on top of it or shifted to the background. Erasing the information will prevent certain types of attacks and remind people that they're dealing with confidential material, Biddle said."
    Microsoft is finally doing the /. crowd a favor. No more rushing to minimize a window when your boss walks by. Just make slashdot a 'secured' page and Alt-Tab anything else over top it. *POOF* it appears like you've been working all along!

    --
    [Fuck Beta]
    o0t!
  4. Re:One problem solved by spectral · · Score: 5, Funny

    Humans are a security problem, because they contain their own pool of memory too. Let's get rid of them. Deleting a person's memory is easier than the video card's too: One click of the trigger is all it takes. Just Point and Click.

    I'd have no clue how to wipe out my video card's memory. (No, shutting off the computer won't do it. I've seen plenty that when they turn back on, the last screen visible is there for a split second.)

  5. The Ultimate Security by SpiffyMarc · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sure, it's all well and good to display sensitive information with a special border, but what if someone writes down what they see and then leaves it just lying around? Where's your special borders then?

    The solution is obvious: don't display the data at all!

  6. I do this already! by glwtta · · Score: 5, Funny
    Information on secured windows will vanish if another window is placed on top

    I've discovered this feature of windowed GUIs a long time ago - you cake take virtually any window, place it over your current window and POOF! the data vanishes, completely obsucred by the new window on top of it. Isn't it neat?

    --
    sic transit gloria mundi
  7. Re:Prevent attacks? Boss key? by anagama · · Score: 5, Funny

    Reminds me of the "boss key" some older games had, e.g., you're playing at work, see the boss coming, hit the boss key and something possibly work related fills the screen. This sounds about as effective.

    E.g., wife/girlfriend/SO walks in the room, you scramble to hide a "secure" window ... "what are you doing?" ... "errr, nothing, just reading /." ... You won't win, either she sees the porn or she believes your hiding emails from an online romance. No matter what, yer screwed.

    --
    What changed under Obama? Nothing Good
  8. Re:So...... by los+furtive · · Score: 5, Funny

    What about public computer terminals though?

    No problem, it will be safely available everywhere from MS.Passport. What do you mean it isn't safe?

    --

    I'm a writer, a poet, a genius, I know it. I don't buy software, I grow it.

  9. Re:So...... by Black+Copter+Control · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's not like the stuff on passport security is critical... It's only your email, your identifying information, your credit card number and ...... Well it's not like it's life-threatening...

    --
    OS Software is like love: The best way to make it grow is to give it away.
  10. I can see it now: by rat7307 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Enter Dogs Name:
    FIDO

    WARNING: Dogs name too short, should be 6-8 characters long and
    use combination of numbers and UPPER and lowercase letters.


    Enter Dogs Name:
    FiDo1234

    Dogs name accepted...

    --
    Burma?
  11. Re:Yeah! by Handyman · · Score: 5, Funny

    "One name one login."

    Eine Name, eine Login, ein Fuehrer!

    (Just to ensure that the old adage becomes true, the one that says that when a discussion becomes longer the chance that a comparison to Nazis pop up becomes 100% :) )