Security Now - 16k MP3

Following last week's guest appearance by Peter Gutmann, Leo and I wrap up the topic of Vista's new, deep, and pervasive Digital Rights Management (DRM) system. I also announce the completion and availability of GRC's latest freeware: "SecurAble."Click this link for Securable's web page.

Peter Gutmann, the author of the highly controversial white paper detailing the significant cost of Windows Vista's deeply-entrenched digital rights management (DRM) technology, joins Leo and me this week to discuss his paper and his findings.

In preparation for next week's look at how and why Windows Vista has incorporated the most pervasive and invasive system for digital rights management ever created, AACS, Leo and I first take a step back to survey the history and evolution of media property rights and the technologies used to enforce them.

Leo and I discuss questions asked by listeners of our previous episodes. We tie up loose ends, explore a wide range of topics that are too small to fill their own episode, clarify any confusion from previous installments, and present real world 'application notes' for any of the security technologies and issues we have previously discussed.

This week I take the wraps off our forthcoming security freeware utility: SecurAble. Although I'm still working to get it finished, tested, and ready for initial release, I describe what SecurAble will do and some of the unexpected hurdles I've encountered with the application and with details of Windows operation along the way.

Last week Leo and I discussed the social implications and the social power of Internet Anonymity. This week we discuss the technology of Freenet and TOR (Onion Router) networks, and I describe the detailed technical operation of both systems.

To create some background for next week's discussion about the significant technical challenges involved in creating true anonymity on the Internet, this week Leo and I discuss the consequences of the use and abuse of the extreme power afforded by many different forms of Internet anonymity, privacy, and freedom of speech.

Leo and I discuss questions asked by listeners of our previous episodes. We tie up loose ends, explore a wide range of topics that are too small to fill their own episode, clarify any confusion from previous installments, and present real world 'application notes' for any of the security technologies and issues we have previously discussed.

Leo and I first discuss errata from previous episodes, correcting, among other things, Steve's first poor impression of Vista's performance. Then we discuss the results of my in-depth research into the inner workings of Vista's Kernel Patch Protection (aka PatchGuard) to uncover its limitations, benefits, and real purpose.

Leo and I describe the new security features Microsoft has designed and built into their new version of Windows, Vista. We examine the impact of having such features built into the base product rather than offered by third parties as add-ons. And we carefully compare the security benefits of Vista on 64-bit versus 32-bit hardware platforms.