Re: [SECURITYEP] Discussion about Windows XP SP2

["Niedens, Travis" <Travis_Niedens () REDLANDS EDU>]

I am currently participating in the Windows XP SP2 beta.  Honestly, I
haven't as many issues.  Have you participated in the chats that MS has
hosted for this product?  They have integrated a lot of suggestions from
those between releases (Beta1, Beta2, RC1). Has your rep acknowledged the
issue with NTLMv2? If so, was it due to a security flaw ?  From what I have
seen on the chats, features are either removed, modified or added purely to
better secure the OS.  Honestly, I'd rather have an issue like this rather
than one where 500+ hosts get infected with a flavor-of-the-month virus and
start bringing down the network. 
 
Travis Niedens
Network Manager
University of Redlands


________________________________

From: Dunker, Mary [mailto:dunker () VT EDU] 
Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2004 3:09 PM
To: SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU
Subject: Re: [SECURITY] [SECURITYEP] Discussion about Windows XP SP2


I am just now getting on board with the Educause security groups, so forgive
me if you have already discussed this...
Relative to the discussions with Microsoft, I'm wondering if other higher
education institutions are having problems securing their environments due
to the lack of interoperability of Microsoft with other platforms.  We
currently have two issues that are preventing us from increasing security on
our Active Directory:

*       Windows XP SP2 introduces a problem that prevents connecting to our
NetApp NAS with anything higher than NTLM.  (NTLMV2 worked before XP SP 2.) 
*       Microsoft removed a lot of functionality that was in their Outlook
2001 product for the Mac when they replaced it with Entourage. We attempted
to be involved in the beta release of Entourage, received the software too
late to have our input recognized, and now the fact that our MAC users don't
have a fully functional client for Exchange is keeping them on Outlook 2001,
which does not support NTLMV2.

We are working with our account reps. to try to resolve these issues with
Microsoft and their business partners, but it is a struggle!  Has anyone
else experienced Microsoft-related interoperability problems that impact
security?  
 
Mary
 
 

-------------------------------------------- 
Mary Dunker 
Secure Enterprise Technology Initiatives 
Virginia Tech Information Technology 
1700 Pratt Drive 
Blacksburg, VA 24060 
(540) 231-9327 
FAX: (540) 231-7413 
dunker () vt edu 

        -----Original Message-----
        From: Rodney Petersen [mailto:rpetersen () EDUCAUSE EDU] 
        Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2004 12:48 PM
        To: SECURITY-EP () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU
        Subject: [SECURITYEP] Discussion about Windows XP SP2
        
        
        Jack etal,
         
        I'd like to spend some time during the Effective Practices Working
Group Call on Friday describing our interactions with Microsoft.
(Hopefully, everyone has seen the Security Task Force document on "Improving
the Security of Windows Platforms" posted to the Security Discussion Group.)
I would also like to describe some earlier discussions with staff from the
Center for Internet Security regarding their Windows benchmarks.  The CIS
benchmarks are currently discussed in the EP Guide.  Finally, I have a call
scheduled with Microsoft on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET to brainstorm
higher education's participation in the rollout plan for Windows XP Service
Pack 2.  I would like to see 1 or 2 members of the effective practices
working group join me in that call.
         
        Thanks,
         
        -Rodney

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