Allchin denies Vista won't need anti-virus

Will Vista need anti-virus? There's been some confusion over the matter after Microsoft's Jim Allchin indicated that his son doesn't need anti-virus.

"My son, seven years old, runs Windows Vista and, honestly, he doesn't have an anti-virus system on his machine. His machine is locked down with parental controls, he can't download things unless it's to the places that I've said that he could, and I'm feeling totally confident about that," said Allchin in a telephone call to reporters last week. "That is quite a statement. I couldn't say that in Windows XP SP2."

That sounds encouraging for potential Vista users to say the least. But Allchin has now clarified his comments about the security of Windows Vista, saying that he described a specific situation and that his remarks have been taken out of context.

On his blog, Allchin wrote: "I could certainly see that what I said wasn't as clear as it could have been, and I'm sorry for that. However, it is also clear from the transcript that I didn't say that users shouldn't run anti-virus software with Windows Vista! In fact, later in the call, I explicitly made this point again, because I had realised I wasn't as clear as I should have been.

"It's important for me that our customers are using the appropriate security solutions for the right situations, whether that's security functionality integrated in the operating systems, or add-on products."

So to be on the safe side, install anti-virus even if you plan on using Vista.

That seems to be good advice, considering the SANS Institute has just released its top 20 Internet security risks for the year, and the top five operating system problems are Windows-related.

The SANS institute has just released its top 20 Internet security risks for the year and the top five operating system problems are Windows-related.

Paul Furber, senior group writer, ITWeb

IE is top of the heap followed by Windows libraries, Microsoft Office, Windows Services and Windows configuration weaknesses. But there are more converged threats as well.

"VOIP service and phones, threats posed by fraudulent phishing e-mails, and Web application flaws all figure prominently in the run down," notes The Register. Cross-platform applications and services all feature. Web applications, database software and file sharing tops that section.

Not even video clips are safe for Windows users. SecurityFocus said worms attached to movie clips, as reported by anti-virus specialist McAfee last Tuesday, may allow attackers to bypass normal security awareness because of lowered expectations.

"A chunk of people generally regard video files as safe, where they might treat screensavers and Office documents with some caution," said a senior McAfee researcher. As a result the "larger audience" might be susceptible to worms embedded within video files.

As always, make sure you know what content you're receiving, who it's from, and whether it can be trusted. In the increasingly cross-platform and converged Internet, paying attention to what you're opening is more important than ever.

Thanks to SecurityFocus, Microsoft and The Register.