Windows 7 security default worries experts

Corporate IT departments should be pleased with new security measures in Windows 7, but consumers are still at risk of getting hit by malware despite changes in the UAC feature.

Written by Elinor Mills, Contributor Oct. 21, 2009 at 10:16 p.m. PT

Corporate IT departments should be pleased with new security measures in Windows 7, but consumers are still at risk of getting hit by malware despite changes in the User Account Control (UAC) feature designed to help people be smarter when using applications, security experts say.

See also: Windows 7 Special Report

Probably the most talked about security change in Windows 7, scheduled for public release on Thursday, are modifications to the UAC, which was introduced in Vista. The UAC was designed to prevent unauthorized execution of code by displaying a pop-up warning every time a change was being made to the system, whether by the operating system or a third-party application.

Vista users complained that they were bombarded with the warnings and security experts speculated that as a result, many people were just ignoring them or turning them off.

With Windows 7, users can choose how often they want to be notified and the default is set to notify only when a third-party application is making a change, as well as when a change is being made to the UAC itself.

For more, read "Windows 7 default user account control worries experts" from CNET News.

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Windows 7 security default worries experts

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