Is Vista secure operating system?

Bill Gates made a statement that Vista was "more dramatically secure" during one interview with the BBC News. He said that the security improvised in Vista was the reason all by itself to be upgraded from the Windows XP.

Vista vulnerabilities and exploits are starting to hit the discussion boards where things as such are developed and traded. Academics are even publishing the papers on the weaknesses inside the Vista.

Is it really secure?

The latest desktop OS from the Microsoft, Windows Vista, incorporates a wide range of brand new features of security. But do these new features measure up to the aspirations of the Microsoft to remove those vulnerabilities present in the earlier versions of operating systems?

What's in Windows Vista?

Windows Security Center - This runs in background and it monitors the security status of the software on your computer. It is a feature that can be applauded because this makes it very clear to the non-technical users at times when the computer isn't secure.

User Account Control - A vital enhancement fashioned to prevent the malware threats from being installed. In fact, it is even very intrusive with the high count of alerts that the end users have to respond to, hence there is strong likelihood of it to be disabled until and unless they are thought how to utilize it.

Windows Defender - An anti-spyware built-in program that works good for the home users though it contains no features of central administration that the organizations require.

Patch Guard or the Kernel Patch Protection - Incorporated into the 64-bit Windows Vista to fight the rogue code, like the rootkits, from making the malicious changes to the kernel of the operating system. Few vendors complained that this feature is preventing the security software to work effectively.

Windows Firewall - Offering the profiles that are location-based and the outbound filtering that are application-aware, an enhancement over the SP2 of the Windows XP. However, it isn't centrally managed or monitored so the businesses might find it tougher to benefit with these improvements.

Internet Explorer 7 - Includes the features to prevent spoofing and phishing attacks.

Several other improvements include the improved compliance auditing, a Network Access Protection client, BitLocker protection for data, readiness for the multi-factor authentication, Wi-Fi security.

The Windows Vista OS is very less susceptible to the security breaches than the Windows XP and few Linux distributions, according to the Microsoft.

Detailed analysis of the reported patch events and security vulnerabilities in the 12 months since the beginning release of the Windows Vista has concluded that it is better to be equipped to deal with the hacking attacks, malware and viruses, says the vulnerability report of the firm.

In the beginning year of their releases, 36 vulnerabilities are to be fixed in the Windows Vista, compared to the 493 for the Linux 4 Workstation from the Red Hat Enterprise, 65 for the Windows XP.