ICMP [Internet Control Message Protocol] ping response is mandatory in [the IEEEs] RFC 1122, yet Microsoft chose to block it in Windows Firewall. Now, in Vista, it is buried so deep it takes an expert to enable.
We mandate ping in-house and use it for network management—a device that doesnt respond for months may get its address reassigned. In my opinion, having stealth PCs on the network is more dangerous than risking the odd data leak from a Trojan.
Andrew Daviel
IT Security
On Nov. 8, Microsoft announced that Vista had been released to manufacturing. That same day, eWEEK Labs Jason Brooks, who has been testing Vista bits from the start, invited comment on the operating system and its potential impact (here).
Deploy Vista? Youre kidding, right? There is no way I am going to deploy “Microcrashs” new operating system on the network. We are happy with Windows 2000 and Windows XP Pro, so there is no reason at all to buy Vista. Its kind of like a car or truck—I am happy with mine, so there is no need to buy a new one. After all, [our current OSes] are paid for and broken in.
Kev
At some point, corporate IT will be forced to go to Vista or an alternative. People with the attitude of, “Ill run XP or 2000 because it works” will be faced with a dilemma of no support, security risks due to lack of updates, etc. Instead, these folks should begin to develop a plan to move to Vista or an alternative.
TM