On Shifting “Windows” and “Security” from Less Antonymous to More Synonymous

Windows Vista. I've not uttered either of those two words in an article before, which is why this article makes me feel like a five-year-old in FAO Schwarz with a blank check. My word budget is hefty and there's a considerable amount of real estate to cover when tackling the huge suburban expanse of peripheral discussion avenues radiating from the cynosure that Microsoft is. A while back, after perusing Bruce Schneier's security blog, I came across an entry discussing a creature that was new to me at the time – BitLocker. Apparently, this would provide Vista's cryptographic functionality. I know what you might be thinking. “Oh no. Vista is doing cryptography? It can't be any good. Even if it is, there's gotta be a back door somewhere.”

Well, I'm not here to rant about historical reasons for not placing your bets on Windows' security, but I'd like to build a case on why I believe there are sound reasons for hearing BitLocker out, as well as pitch in a few cents on the kind of philosophy that ensures the vitality of cryptographic software and hardware. Make no mistake, though. By no means am I proposing BitLocker as an elixir for security as a whole; it is one of the many panes of the security window. Its goal is to provide resiliency under certain threat models. Imagine an adversarial version of the Great Bambino, calling a shot towards that window. If it hits the pane of cryptography, do you trust it to repel the shot, or shatter like the Royals' chances for a division title in 2006? That's what this article is about – with a little less antonomasia-induced baseball talk.

Traversing the credits before the show starts

I haven't even seen BitLocker yet, and – I know, I know – you're probably wondering, “How can you have an opinion on it, if you haven't seen it?” Let's say you rent a movie from Blockbuster, pop it into your VCR, and soon realize that the person who rented it before you didn't give a second thought to the “Be Kind. Rewind.,” policy. Perhaps you immediately press the rewind button on your remote, or perhaps you watch the credits scroll up, revealing the primary cast. I'm well aware that the inclusion of a good cast doesn't necessarily seal the deal for an inherently good movie, but it can speak a lot about what one can potentially expect from the structure of the film, and its personality.

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