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Vista Kernel API Opened to Security Firms

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The brouhaha over developing third-party security applications for Windows Vista may be far from over, but Microsoft has followed up on a pledge it made last October to clue third-party security developers into the APIs they’ll need to use to tap into the Vista kernel.

In order to improve security in Windows Vista—at least, compared to the long-standing nightmare which has been security under Windows XP—Microsoft extended its PatchGuard technology to isolate the operation system kernel in the 64-bit edition of Windows Vista. The decision left no mechanisms for developers of third-party security applications—like Symantec and McAfee—to create security, scanning, and firewall products for the 64-bit version of Vista.

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Microsoft has made the draft APIs available to third-party developers for testing and comment through the end of January, 2007, and promises a final version of the APIs will be available when Microsoft releases its first service pack for Windows Vista, expected in mid- to late-2007. So far, no security vendors have commented publicly on the API information received from Microsoft.

“These new APIs for Windows Vista have been designed to help security and non-security ISVs develop software that extends the functionality of the Windows kernel on 64-bit systems, in a documented and supported manner, and without disabling or weakening the protection offered by Kernel Patch Protection,” said Ben Fathi, Microsoft’s Windows security chief, in a statement. Fathi also noted that the APIs are not finalized, and it expects to modify the specifications in response to feedback from security experts and developers. Microsoft has published a document (MSWord) outlining the process it uses to prioritize and evaluate requests for Kernel Patch Protection APIs.

In the meantime, computing enthusiasts, enterprise customers, and others interested in 64-bit editions of Windows Vista remain concerned that no third-party security products will likely be available for the operating system until some time after the release of Vista Service Pack 1.

Geoff Duncan
Geoff Duncan
Former Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
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