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Windows OS Security Brief History

Introduction

Microsoft’s Windows operating system (OS) is possibly the most famous OS on Earth, and it is ubiquitous in the business world. But the Windows OS has also evolved since its first appearance, adding considerable security capabilities and features. 

This article will show a brief history of Windows OS security development and refinement since Windows 1. 

Windows’ main weakness

Windows is loved by its users because it offers tremendous application availability. However, this strength is also its biggest weakness. By allowing an open approach toward applications, Windows also exposes itself to malware more often than other operating systems. 

Windows 1 — Windows 9X (1983-1996)

Windows 1 was the first version of Windows OS and was released on November 20, 1985. This version of Windows didn’t come with OS security. In fact, Windows 1 through Windows 9x didn’t have OS security systems. They had rudimentary logon security (which did not store passwords in the OS) and very limited logging capabilities.

A major limitation to early Windows OS versions (and MS-DOS) was the fact that the file system they used was File Allocation Table (FAT). While considered a robust file system for early OSes, it was intended for smaller drives and for simplistic folder hierarchies. FAT used no security measures, meaning it was easy to access, modify and delete information stored using this system.

Security issues were compounded by the fact that 16-bit Windows OS versions were practically impossible to update without expanding to 32-bit. The now-ubiquitous and frequent Windows security update didn’t exist in the early days of Windows. On top of all of that, the early Windows versions didn’t allow multiple users, so every user of a shared computer used the same login credentials. 

Windows NT

This version of Windows OS was a watershed moment for (Read more...)

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Infosec Resources authored by Greg Belding. Read the original post at: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/infosecResources/~3/1U-tKK-xSGg/