Microsoft Says Windows 10 Version 1607 is The Most Secure Windows Ever (thurrott.com)

A new white paper from Microsoft claims that "devices running Windows 10 are 58% less likely to encounter ransomware than when running Windows 7". But an anonymous reader brings more news from Windows-watcher Paul Thurrott: in a separate blog post, it also makes its case for why Windows 10 version 1607 -- that is, Windows 10 with the Anniversary Update installed -- is the most secure Windows version yet. Improvements in this release include: Microsoft Edge runs Adobe Flash Player in an isolated container, and Edge exploits cannot execute other applications... [And] the Windows Defender signature delivery channel works faster than before so that the in-box anti-virus and anti-malware solution can help block ransomware, both in the cloud and on the client. Additionally, Windows Defender responds to new threats faster using improved cloud protection and automatic sample submission features, plus improved behavioral heuristics aimed at detecting ransomware-related activities.
Interestingly, the paper also touts Microsoft's "Advancing machine-learning systems in our email services to help stop the spread of ransomware via email delivery."

Comments

Security that the USER cannot control. . .

[Salgak1]

. . . .is not what **I** would call a selling point. Sticking to Win7 on my Windoze gaming box, and Ubuntu for my main box. . .

Re:Security that the USER cannot control. . .

[Anonymous Coward]

Not the same AC but I am a scientist in a corporate environment who does electron microscopy and x-ray microanalysis. We have a lot of hardware that requires Windows. Typically the software is a minimal part of the problem. I have hardware that still only runs on Win XP and Win 7. We have one system still Win 2000 and one on NT. They are all like the Energizer Bunny - they keep on going... The hardware upgrades would cost anywhere from several thousand to over $1 million because entire instruments would need to be replaced. We are specialists at getting parts from E-bay. We preserve jobs by letting our analytical needs determine our upgrade path, not Microsoft...

Re:Vendor security better than mom security

[Ol Olsoc]

Security that the USER cannot control is not what **i** would call a selling point

A fine stance if you are a a technically competent IT pro or equivalent.

Because security is soooooooo hard!

What we have here is people trying to claim to have it both ways. The "most secure Windows ever" still requires a lot of security updates, which means it really isn't all that secure. As well, thre are two parts to any security updates. One is making the computer more secure. The second is having the computer work after the update.

Nothing like the secure aspect of a computer in endless reboot mode. Nothing like being powerless to do anything about it

I guess.

Microsoft's biggest failure in W10 was the Bohica update idea. Microsoft has always had problems with updates. I made a good part of my living by figuring out and repairing what they bitched up every month.

And W10 is no different - you just have no choice but to bend over and take it.

And having a working computer is as important as having one that is secure.

Re:Vendor security better than mom security

[nine-times]

A fine stance if you are a a technically competent IT pro or equivalent. However for the 99+% of the people out there who don't fit that description, having the security handled by the system vendor can actually be a good idea.

Let's assume that's true. It doesn't follow that 99+% of computers aren't managed by people who are competent. A lot of those users are using computers that are managed by IT departments, and Microsoft is taking control away from those IT departments.

I would 100% endorse Microsoft trying to set sensible defaults, and hiding complex or dangerous controls in the registry where those incompetent users won't be able to find them. The controls should still exist somewhere.