Category: XP

Announced today was  Microsoft Security Essentials Beta a no-cost light weight anti-malware service. It’s designed to keep computers e protected from viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.

New features in the beta of Microsoft Security Essentials include:

Windows Firewall integration – Manage firewall setting in during setup of Microsoft Security Essentials

Integrated with Internet Explorer to provide Enhanced protection for web-based threats –

The beta includes a updated anti-malware engine offers enhanced detection and cleanup capabilities.

Network inspection system – Protection against network-based exploits is now built in to Microsoft Security Essentials.

To get on the beta, click

 

I wrote an article for Global Knowledge about fast growing issue of  Identity theft.

In the article I gave 15 Simple steps to prevent becoming a victim, here they are:

1. Think security. If you are not sure about something, do not open or install it.
2. If asked to download a file, and you are not sure what it does, do not download it.
3. Get an anti-spyware program, keep it updated, and use it.
4. Do not open e-mails from people you do not know.
5. Do not open attachments if you are not positive you know what they are.
6. If an e-mail offers something too good to be true, it probably is a scam.
7. Use anti-virus software; update it at least once a day or more.
8. Patch your computer’s operating system (all vendors have updates).
9. Patch you applications (word, games, mail programs, etc.).
10. Be smart; know what services run on your computer, and what ports are open.
11. Stay away from peer-to-peer sharing software programs.
12. Think! Computer Security is about what you do as well as what you don’t do.
13. If your computer has a Trojan or worm, you can try to fix it BUT it probably has more than one Trojan or worm. It’s better to rebuild if you want to be truly secure.
14. Wipe out the hard drive when disposing of computers with utilities such as Active KillDisk (Free) WipeDisk, or BCwipe.
15. Think before you click.

To read the full acticle go here

 

Visit the Windows 7 Test Drive site, check out our new content on IE8, MDOP and virtualization, try out the online resources, and then tell us about your experience in a short 2-minute survey to enter the prize drawing. Winners will be drawn from the completed survey entries once a week for seven weeks. Come back once a week through August 15 to enter and increase your chances to win.

Enter here

You can also download a free e-book on Deploying Windows® 7 Essential Guidance from the Windows 7 Resource Kit and Microsoft® TechNet Magazine

 

Get  the free E-book here

This was posted about a session a friend did at TechEd and I thought I would share it here

Paula Januszkiewicz  talked with David Tesar about how hacking can help in efficient IT administration and then we also got into topics such as a world without passwords and web security.

Watch her session at TechEd

As a Security pro this is great news, these docs can help you secure your Microsoft infrastructure

The Infrastructure Planning and Design team is working on two new guides and would like your feedback: Microsoft Forefront™ Identity Manager (FIM) 2010 and Active Directory® Certificate Services (AD CS). Get the betas by visiting the Connect Web site at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=186024.

The Infrastructure Planning and Design guide for Microsoft Forefront Identity Manager (FIM) 2010 provides actionable guidance for designing a FIM 2010 infrastructure. Follow this guide’s step-by-step process to determine the FIM components necessary for fulfilling your organization’s identity-management needs, and design an infrastructure with the right deployment topology for meeting your performance and availability requirements.

The Infrastructure Planning and Design guide for Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) outlines the critical infrastructure design elements that are key to a successful implementation of Active Directory Certificate Services. Using this guide will result in a certificate services design that is optimized to meet the needs of your organization at the lowest cost.

The two guides can be used together to design a FIM certificate-brokering service that is integrated with AD CS to deliver identity-managed certificate services.

The Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) team is working on related guidance: the MOF Reliability Workbook for Active Directory Certificate Services. It provides knowledge, specific tasks, and schedules needed to keep Active Directory Certificate Services running smoothly.

Reduce time and planning costs by following the processes in these IPD guides to design a successful deployment of FIM and AD CS, and use the MOF Reliability Workbook to optimize monitoring and maintenance activities.

This is a repost of a Microsoft announcement

Deploy Windows 7 and Office 2010 quickly and reliably—while boosting user satisfaction

Microsoft® Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2010 Update 1 is now available! Download MDT 2010 Update 1 at: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=159061

As you prepare to deploy Windows® 7, Office 2010, and Windows Server® 2008 R2, get a jump start with MDT 2010 Update 1. Use this Solution Accelerator to achieve efficient, cost-effective deployment of Windows 7, Office 2010, and Windows Server 2008 R2.

This latest release offers something for everyone. Benefits include:

For System Center Configuration Manager 2007 customers:

New “User Driven Installation” deployment method. An easy-to-use UDI Wizard allows users to initiate and customize operating system and application deployments to their PCs that are tailored to their individual needs.

Support for Configuration Manager R3 “Prestaged Media.” For those deploying Windows 7 and Office 2010 along with new PCs, a custom operating system image can easily be preloaded and then customized once deployed.

For Lite Touch Installation:

Support for Office 2010. Easily configure Office 2010 installation and deployment settings through the Deployment Workbench and integration with the Office Customization Tool.

Improved driver import process. All drivers are inspected during the import process to accurately determine what platforms they really support, avoiding common inaccuracies that can cause deployment issues.

For all existing customers:

A smooth and simple upgrade process. Installing MDT 2010 Update 1 will preserve your existing MDT configuration, with simple wizards to upgrade existing deployment shares and Configuration Manager installations.

Many small enhancements and bug fixes. Made in direct response to feedback received from customers and partners all around the world, MDT 2010 Update 1 is an indispensible upgrade for those currently using MDT (as well as a great starting point for those just starting).

Continued support for older products. MDT 2010 Update 1 still supports deployment of Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista®, Windows Server 2008, and Office 2007, for those customers who need to be able to support these products during the deployment of Windows 7 and Office 2010.

Next steps:

Download Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=159061.

Learn more by visiting the MDT site on Microsoft TechNet: www.microsoft.com/mdt.

This is a repost of a Microsoft announcement

 

Until now, there haven’t been enough certification programs that focus on fundamental IT and development skills.  Microsoft hope is  that the new (MTA) will fill this void.

Launched today, the MTA will offer students a certification in the fundamentals of IT and development. Unlike more advanced Microsoft certifications, the MTA targets students with no prior IT or development experience or employment. It is available exclusively in educational settings and is designed to easily integrate into the curricula of existing computer classes.

The MTA offers three IT certifications, three development certifications and one database certification. The IT section includes tests in Networking Fundamentals, Security Fundamentals and Windows Server Administration Fundamentals. The development certification offers tests in Software Development Fundamentals, Windows Development Fundamentals and Web Development Fundamentals. The database certification covers Database Administration Fundamentals. Students can pursue as many or as few certifications as they choose.

Participating teachers can continue to use their favorite courseware to teach fundamental technology concepts, and also use the included MTA Certification Exam Review Kits (ERKs) to complement existing textbooks. For each exam, 20 hours of instructional material is available. The MTA will eventually be available in thousands of high schools, vocational programs and colleges in the U.S. and other countries. Some colleges are considering making the MTA a mandatory part of their freshman curricula in IT and development. Testing will be conducted by Certiport, a commercial testing service, at participating schools.

 

As a security person I hear what the best build way to build computers system that I can baseline them . I use tools like MDT 2010.

The Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2010  is a FREE tool that will allow you to create images for operating systems. This tool will script the building of operating systems XP service pack 3, Vista, Windows 7, Server 2003, Server 2008, Server 2008r2. You can also add applications,  and configurations.

If you have SCCM or use WDS you can take the results created by this tool.  It also has method for upgrading XP to Windows 7 while leaving user data on the system. There is a tool called USMT (User state migration toolkit) using you can specify what data you like to keep on the computer or move to a share during a upgrade.

You can download the beta 1 at https://connect.microsoft.com/site14/Downloads/DownloadDetails.aspx?DownloadID=8689

AS a network administrator you may need guidance to plan and design  and implementation your SQL infrastructure. Using guide like this will also give you best practices to reduce security issues.

The Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) guide for Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2 helps organizations address key design decisions and confidently plan the efficient implementation of a SQL Server infrastructure. The tasks addressed in this guide help technical decision makers identify the appropriate SQL Server roles needed as well as determine the infrastructure components, server placement, and fault-tolerance configuration necessary to meet planning requirements. By using this guidance, organizations can make efficient planning and optimal design decisions for their SQL Server infrastructures.

Download the IPD Guide for Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2 at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=160982

 

This is another tool that a security or network administrator needs. This is a Windows based Sniffer with the following benefits

A new high performance capturing feature allows you to capture on faster networks without dropping frames. Parser profiles provide a simple way to increase filtering/parsing speed and allow you to switch quickly between various parser sets. And UI updates like Color Rules, Windows Layouts and Column Management give you flexibility to do cool customizations to help you work the way you want..

To download the latest version, please visit our Microsoft Download Center page. For more information see the release blog which has the official announcement.