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Microsoft Releases Standards For Highly Secure Windows 10 Devices (bleepingcomputer.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the highly-secure dept.

An anonymous reader writes from a report via BleepingComputer: Yesterday, Microsoft released new standards that consumers should follow in order to have a highly secure Windows 10 device. These standards include the type of hardware that should be included with Windows 10 systems and the minimum firmware features. The hardware standards are broken up into 6 categories, which are minimum specs for processor generation, processor architecture, virtualization, trusted platform modules (TPM), platform boot verification, and RAM. Similarly, firmware features should support at least UEFI 2.4 or later, Secure Boot, Secure MOR 2 or later, and support the Windows UEFI Firmware Capsule Update specification.

5 of 173 comments (clear)

  1. Missing... by msauve · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Mysteriously (!?) missing are what IPs/DNS to block to keep MS from collecting info on you.

    --
    "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
  2. Did anyone RTFA? by subanark · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Every post I see so far is the generic: see Windows in the title, bash Windows in comments. I mean I'm not sure anyone even read the summary, as all the comments could be made about any article about Windows. And this article doesn't have a lot to do about Windows, its mostly about secure hardware.

    Yes, yes I know most of you hate Windows, if not Microsoft as a whole, but is it necessary to remind people of this every article?

    1. Re: Did anyone RTFA? by maeltor3138 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I don't see a helluva lot of flamebait in the summary. MS releasing security standards that are legitimate is actual news and deserves legitimate consideration. The ridiculousness of the standard "M$=bad" bullshit responses doesn't help anyone and make things better for computing in general. Simply saying that (not saying you do, using "you" as a generalization) "you use Linux and everyone else should to" simply shows that you have no grounding in pragmatic reality.

  3. Re:Secure Windows is a phrase that doesn't feel ri by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is not about security: this is about locking down the system to a vendor. It's right there in TFS:

    ...trusted platform modules (TPM), platform boot verification... UEFI 2.4 or later, Secure Boot, Secure MOR 2 or later, and support the Windows UEFI Firmware Capsule Update specification.

    Words like "trusted", "secure" etc in computer salesdroid-speak are like "people's" and "democratic" when they get shoe-horned into a country's name - they're a warning sign, a veneer to hide a darker truth.

  4. Re:If Windows is proprietary it can't be secured. by luis_a_espinal · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Only free software (software the user is free to run, inspect, share, and modify) can be assessed for security, fixed or improved, shared (even commercially), and run at any time for any reason. Without software freedom you're not being treated ethically and you deserve full control over your computers.

    Nonfree software is never trustworthy, no matter how long you've run it, how much you're used to its interface, or how much you feel like you can trust it. You have no idea what nonfree software is doing when it runs, you have no permission to alter it, share it, or inspect it no matter how technical and willing you are to do these things. You might not even have permission to run it anytime you want for any reason.

    So there is no way to secure Windows 10 so long as Windows 10 is nonfree software. The same applies to any other nonfree software too. No amount of public relations changes how computers and software work.

    There are so many counter examples to this claim, but why bother. A cult is a cult. All Hail the True Scotsman.