Security requires user interaction
Computerworld published a weblog entry that posits ‘Security that requires end user attention is not security‘ – and yet that could not be farther from the truth. The only person who knows the intention of the user is the user, and the point of the OS (or any software) is to obey the user and find the best way to make the intentions into reality.
Vista’s security sounds flawed during the current beta by being overaggressive – which will create a user nightmare if left alone – but that is how you achieve true security. You turn it all the way on and then select what to allow. The process of selection is the difficult one, and where Microsoft has actually acknowledged publicly that they are still working on the feature. Let’s be clear – this is a good thing.
I was quick to criticize Microsoft last week, and I continue to have the same opinion… left as it is, the security will be a problem. They’re not leaving it alone, they’re asking for input and planning to fix it. Good for them. I’ll change my opinion when the fixes are in, but acknowledging an issue is the first step to good user behavior.
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