Security Strategies in Windows Platforms and Applications, 3rd Edition

Windows Attack Surfaces and Mitigation

Windows, like any operating system, is a collection of services provided to allow users to interact with the physical hardware. Each service provides a specific set of access methods to the hardware and functions that satisfy user requirements. In short, operating system services provide some functionality to users. Each service exposes some part of the computer to external access. Regardless of the care taken to ensure the security of the provided access, there is a risk when exposing any part of a computer to external access. All computing systems include vulnerabilities—weaknesses that can allow unauthorized access if successfully exploited. The total collection of all possible vulnerabilities that ...