Windows Vista Network Attack Surface Analysis A Broad Overview

Short Description
We observed that Windows Vista hosts will not process unsolicited Neighbor Discovery replies. However, it is still possible to …

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Content
SYMANTEC ADVANCED THREAT RESEARCH 1
Abstract-A pre-release version of Microsoft Windows
Vista was examined to determine the external security
exposure and to identify how the networking components have
changed from previous versions of Microsoft Windows.
Changes in the networking stack, network services, and core
protocols are enumerated and their effect on the external
security of the system is analyzed.
Index Terms-Computer network security, Computer
security, Operating systems.
I. INTRODUCTION
INDOWS Vista is Microsoft’s much anticipated new
client operating system. When released, it is due to
replace Windows XP as Microsoft’s premier desktop
operating system. Windows Vista represents a significant
departure from previous Windows systems both in terms of
its emphasis on security and its many new features. As
security has grown in importance, Microsoft has paid
increasingly more attention to it, evidenced by the
significant resource investment that has been made.
Windows Vista provides Microsoft with its first opportunity
to introduce security into the design process of the core
operating system itself. Microsoft has also chosen Windows
Vista as the platform on which to introduce many newly
developed technologies.
The Windows Vista network stack is particularly interesting
because many of its components are new. The TCP/IP…