Longhorn Security Gets Its Teeth Kicked Out

Microsoft has further watered down the Next Generation Secure Computing Base (NGSCB) technology that will ship with its forthcoming Longhorn operating system.
Many systems which Microsoft claims are "Longhorn ready" will not be able to support the security technology, vnunet.com has learned, and only part of the original security vision will be ready in time for the operating system's launch.
"With the Longhorn launch we are delivering the first part of NGSCB: Secure Startup," Jim Allchin, Microsoft's group vice president for platforms, told vnunet.com at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) in Seattle. "Not all of the compartmentization technology will be available. The main thing is Secure Startup."
Secure Startup protects users against offline attacks, blocking access to the computer if the content of the hard drive is compromised. This prevents a laptop thief from booting up the system from a floppy disk to circumvent security features or swapping out the hard drive.
Although the "Ready PC" logo tells users that they are buying a system that runs on Longhorn, they may unwittingly buy a computer that will not support NGSCB. Manuel Novoa, a security architect at HP's Personal Systems Group, called the version of NGSCB that users will get in Longhorn as "NGSCB with a delay."