won’t need to install any special app or switch modes to protect their precious data.
Read on
- Ashok Pandey
Windows 10 made a lot of noise across the
globe even before they announced the
technical preview. With lots of improvements,
Microsoft added security in the new
OS to secure you from various new age threats. As cyber
attacks are on rise around the globe, Microsoft has taken
a step to prevent its users from most of the vulnerabilities.
It has actively addressed the modern security threats with
advancements to strengthen identity protection and access
control, information protection, and threat resistance.
Multifactor authentication
The all-new Win 10 has the next generation of protection
as it comes with built-in multifactor authentication. This
scheme is based on the open standards from the FIDO
Alliance that eliminates the additional security hardware
peripherals like smartcards and tokens. When you enroll,
it converts the device into one of two factors that are
required for authentication. The device’s credential is a
cryptographically generated key pair (private and public
keys) generated by Windows itself, or issued from an
existing PKI infrastructure (e.g., Microsoft Certificate
Services or a third party Certificate Authority) and stored on
a digital certificate.
This solution effectively reduces the viability of phishing
attacks as an attacker would require user’s PIN or biometric
information as well as physical access to their device.
This also prevents users when breaches occur in password
databases.
Data loss prevention
Microsoft enhances data protection with BitLocker that lets
you encrypt the entire disk. This was first seen in Windows
Vista, and now becomes a vital option since most of the
people are using mobile devices in the workplace as well.
The improved prevention enables users to define which
apps have access to the data as well as prevent data from
being copied or accessed without the correct security
profile, regardless of whether it is in transit or located on
another device. Windows offer this data loss prevention by
using containers and corporate and personal data separation
at the application and file level, automatically encrypting
information as it arrives on the device. So there is no
need to add any special app or switch modes to protect
your precious data.
Application access controls
In the current technological age, companies and employees
are moving to BYOD environments, which entail several
risks. Windows 10 addresses the issue and offers secure
access to network resources in the BYOD environment. It
enables admin to restrict access to particular apps which
are not allowed. Also, admin can restrict access, based on
ports and IP addresses. Additionally, admin can configure
devices, so only trustworthy apps can be installed on them,
including apps self-signed by the enterprise, from approved
software vendors, or apps from the Windows Store.
Microsoft has addressed three key points in the new
OS and reduced the need of any third party app or device.
It also includes Windows Defender, though most of the
businesses will want to run a dedicated antivirus and antimalware.
Windows 10 comes with essential plus additional
security features that will surely grab the attention of enterprises
and individual users.
