Microsoft dials up the nagging in Windows, calls it security • The Register

Microsoft is introducing a raft of Windows security features that users and administrators alike might assume are already part of the operating system.

Dubbed “Windows Baseline Security Mode” and “User Transparency and Consent,” the updates are intended to deal with suspect behavior behind the scenes while also prompting the user when an app tries to use a sensitive resource, such as the device’s camera or microphone, or wanders into a user’s sensitive files.

Starting with the Baseline Security Mode, the plan is for Windows to operate with runtime integrity safeguards enabled by default. This means only properly signed apps, services, and drivers. However, users and administrators can still override the safeguards for that one weird legacy app, and app developers can check if the protections are active and if any exceptions have been granted.

For User Transparency and Consent, it looks like there could be a lot more nagging in store. The current User Account Control (UAC) prompt often triggers little more than an eye roll and a swift click. But Microsoft’s new approach will be more granular, asking for explicit consent when apps access sensitive resources or try to install other software.

“Just like on your smartphone,” said Microsoft, although hopefully without all the restrictions that come with a walled garden of vendors like Apple has.

So users are set to face more prompts, although Microsoft stated: “These prompts are designed to be clear and actionable, and you’ll always have the ability to review and change your choices later.”

Those same users might wonder why Microsoft’s operating system does not already have such restrictions in place, but their arrival is laudable nonetheless, even if it is one more thing for administrators to either explain to users or deactivate ahead of the inevitable flood of support tickets.

Alex Ionescu, Chief Technology Innovation Officer at CrowdStrike, said: “CrowdStrike is looking forward to being an early partner in the development of a new, more secure and resilient runtime model for Windows applications, which helps raise the bar for user security and privacy.

“When applications and agentic workloads are well-behaved and respect user consent settings with proper security boundaries, security software can better protect users from attackers with reduced performance overhead.”

CrowdStrike, lest we forget, was the outfit responsible for an update that bricked Windows devices worldwide in 2024. The incident was at least partly responsible for Microsoft having a serious rethink about Windows security and what third-party components should be allowed to do.

Microsoft has been talking about beefing up Windows security for years. Its Secure Future Initiative (SFI) predated the CrowdStrike incident, but didn’t prevent a piece of malformed code from taking down millions of Windows instances.

In this case, user concerns about AI agents are also at play. Microsoft said: “Apps and AI agents will also be expected to meet higher transparency standards, giving both users and IT administrators better visibility into their behaviors.”

Microsoft did not give a timeline for the updates, only the direction of travel. The company said the changes would “roll out through a phased approach.” ®