Microsoft plans to make a key Internet Explorer default change to thwart attackers trying to hack into its Web browser. The software maker will enable DEP/NX (Data Execution Prevention/No Execute) by default in IE 8 when the browser is running on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, a major tweak aimed at mitigating browser-based vulnerabilities. DEP/NX is already available in IE 7, but it's turned off by default because of compatibility issues.
With the default change, IE 8 automatically gets a security feature that prevents an application or service from executing code from a nonexecutable memory region. When used in tandem with additional security mechanisms, DEP/NX can help to reduce the effectiveness of hacker attacks.
According to Microsoft Program Manager Eric Lawrence, the DEP/NX protection will apply to Internet Explorer and all add-ons loaded by the browser. "No additional user interaction is required to provide this protection, and no new prompts are introduced," Lawrence said.
View: Full Article @ eWeek
With the default change, IE 8 automatically gets a security feature that prevents an application or service from executing code from a nonexecutable memory region. When used in tandem with additional security mechanisms, DEP/NX can help to reduce the effectiveness of hacker attacks.
According to Microsoft Program Manager Eric Lawrence, the DEP/NX protection will apply to Internet Explorer and all add-ons loaded by the browser. "No additional user interaction is required to provide this protection, and no new prompts are introduced," Lawrence said.
View: Full Article @ eWeek
If there won't be any harm in it, I will look forward to this, along with IE8 in general. ^_^
If there won't be any harm in it, I will look forward to this, along with IE8 in general. ^_^
Maybe instead of worrying, you should start putting the hard word on these software vendors like Adobe, Sun and Apple, and tell them to get their act together in regards to security. Simply ****ing and moaning about Microsoft's need to tighten security doesn't help anyone.
No problems so far.
Its the 'Enable memory protection to help mitigate online attacks' setting in Internet Options->Advanced tab (Need to run as with admin permissions to set this setting).
Lets hope people don't complain about this as they do about UAC.
Lets hope people don't complain about this as they do about UAC.
I for one could never understand the ****ing and moaning that ensued with the UAC; sure, I can't stand Windows Vista, but UAC was pretty damn low on my list of grievances. Once you got the machine setup, and software installed, and actually USED THE USER DIRECTORIES INSTEAD OF CREATING NEW DIRECTORIES IN THE SYSTEM DIRECTORIES, things were peachy. Yes, I did that in cap locks because of the number of half witts who insist on not using the user based direct structure to keep user files seperate from the system.
So IE wasn't running with NX enabled previously except on x64? So this only affects 32-bit XP and 32-bit Vista pretty much.
But then again, XP IE7 or IE8 still doesn't have a virtual sandbox without resorting to things like Sandboxie.
Also why would MS release a IE8 beta for Vista AND XP, then somewhere along the line just admit that IE8 won't be coming to XP after all? Better release something than nothing, even if it's a bit cut down from its Vista sibling.
Huh? I never heard/read that IE8 won't be available for XP... I mean, XP SP3 is supposed to be released soon, and I doubt MS would do something so ridiculous as to make IE8 only for Vista and Server 2008, effectively excluding Server 2003. I don't put anything past MS these days, but to think that they would do something like that is madness IMHO. After all, IE6 was released for Windows 98, even if it didn't quite work as well as it did on later versions of Windows (it used to crash a lot on my friends' computers... no clue why). Windows 98 support was supposed to be discontinued in 2004, 3 years after IE6 was released (due to its popularity, the date was extended).
I guess I am hoping that history repeats itself. Sure, we don't have Protected Mode in IE7 on XP, for example, but that is because the feature is tied into a Vista-specific feature. Oh well. That's what Virtual PC is for when it comes to IE testing.
this means that we can forget to see IE8 on XP?
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