http://news.com.com/Microsofts+lessons+from+the+desktop/2009-1002_3-6189433.html
By Joris Evers
Staff writer, CNET News.com
June 27, 2007
Pete Boden wants people at Microsoft to think like criminals. That's why
the company held its first "Blue Hat" meeting in 2005, which invited
hackers onto the corporate campus for lectures and meetings intended to
expose security employees to the mentality of digital intruders.
Although it has become a popular biannual event, Blue Hat can still be
an unnerving experience at times as guest hackers occasionally break
Microsoft products in front of the people who built them. But studying
such simulated attacks--a process known as "threat modeling"--provides
invaluable lessons in teaching developers how an application can be
attacked and what the security controls should be.
"Often times, we find that developers are thinking like a developer or
like a user," said Boden, senior director for MSN and Windows Live
security at Microsoft.
That's the challenge facing Microsoft. Many company developers and
executives believe that securing Web applications is no different from
protecting PC desktop software, something the company has learned over
the course of three decades. At the same time, Microsoft must
acknowledge the crucial differences in pace and scale that are
presenting some of the most difficult security challenges ever
encountered in digital technology.
For all its successes, Microsoft has in the past reacted slowly to
industry change or has underestimated its impact. Case in point: back in
the mid-1990s the company misjudged the significance of the Internet and
Web-based computing. What followed has become equal parts lesson and
legend, a call to arms from Bill Gates that ultimately sank arch rival
Netscape Communications and set the course of Internet history. More
recently, Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer have admitted to miscalculating
the value of Web search and digital music, long after Google and Apple
stole the show.
It is understandable, therefore, why Microsoft is determined not to fall
behind in Web security. The key, according to many within the company
and beyond, is not treating it like just another set of desktop bugs.
"The same rules apply. It is not a new science, it is a different
environment to apply the same science," Boden said. However, he
stresses, "We have to be very careful not to get complacent about saying
we understand the problem, because it is going to change right in front
of our eyes."
The 18-year company veteran understands why many at Microsoft cling to
the notion that Web and desktop security are essentially the same.
Although the types of threats change, Boden says desktop and server
security lessons are equally valid when applied to online applications.
"There are pieces that are different," he said. "But the discipline of
understanding what could break, how it could break, the impact of it
breaking, how we protect it, how we respond to any event, those are
fundamentally the same."
The main differences--and they are crucial--are speed and size. As Boden
says, securing Web applications is all about scaling; if security
doesn't scale, data could be at risk.
A year ago, Microsoft had about 30,000 servers in its data centers to
support its online services. This year that's up to 80,000, and more
growth is planned.
"The business stakes are enormous in this area," Boden said. "If we or
anybody in this business violates the users' trust, then we're
essentially out of the business."
Learning the hard way
If Microsoft veterans sometimes sound as if they've seen it all before,
there's good reason: they've learned the hard way.
Five years ago, Microsoft's customers were getting hammered. That's when
Gates launched his Trustworthy Computing initiative to make security a
priority. Industry analysts have praised the effort, even though there
are still plenty of vulnerabilities found in Microsoft software and
attacks still occur.
Inside the MSN and Windows Live security offices, banners still work to
remind employees of the importance of security, and a "Security
Scorecard" keeps track of performance and ties into individual reviews.
Pete Boden
The regimented approach hasn't always been welcomed by the rank and
file. Like human resources and IT staffs, the security department of any
company is sometimes viewed like the internal affairs division within
the police force--they're paid to keep an eye on you. The 55 members of
the MSN and Windows Live security team set policies, assess risks and
respond to security incidents.
Not surprisingly, initial efforts to reach out to other departments and
employees were met with trepidation.
"We had a robotic image on a lot of our awareness campaign materials
last year, and it portrayed a very stern, standoffish approach to the
team," Boden said. "We went away from that, specifically because we want
to build better relationships with the development teams."
Things are better now. Boden's department is engaged in an ongoing
marketing campaign within the company, which includes hosting regular
happy hours with local brews and chips and salsa.
"Redhook, Mac and Jack's, we're not short on beer here in the
Northwest," Boden said.
Despite their unique mission, Boden's team in many ways represents a
cross-section of the company. Members vary from someone who was hired
straight out of high school at age 17 to veteran professionals with
doctoral degrees in computer science.
Boden's background is equally diverse. Born in the United States to
British citizens, he grew up in Southport, England, and attended high
school in Philadelphia. It was a Tandy TRS-80 that first got him
interested in computers. He worked for Deloitte Consulting before
joining Microsoft, where he managed desktops and servers before falling
into security as a project manager on Windows 2000.
"I found I enjoyed the challenges and pace of the security function much
more than deploying software," Boden said.
He's certainly got plenty of what he asked for. As Microsoft has grown
with Web technology, the threats to the empire have multiplied
commensurately.
Vulnerabilities on the Web include cross-site scripting bugs that could
leave personal accounts vulnerable to hijacking, facilitate
data-thieving phishing scams or let hackers plant malicious code on a
trusted site. Another commonly discussed problem is SQL injection, where
an attacker could gain control over a database behind a Web application.
And with expansion has come additional risk, including complications
raised by new business relationships with other companies that host
parts or all of Microsoft-branded Web sites. In 2005, for example, an
MSN Korea partner fell victim to cybercriminals who created a nefarious
program that recorded user credentials for an online game onto the PCs
of MSN Korea customers.
That same year, Microsoft kicked off its online initiative, proclaiming
the "live era" of software. It announced online complements to Office
and Windows. Recently, it unveiled a revamped version of Hotmail, one of
its early online applications.
The "live" push is Microsoft's bid to partake in the online applications
surge. These applications are helped by new development techniques such
as Ajax that stretch the abilities of what Web sites can do, making them
act more like traditional desktop apps. That, in turn, has translated to
new opportunities for security breaches as well.
"It puts stress on our program, but we have been successful in creating
a security model that really pushes accountability back to the business
teams," Boden said.
In sharing responsibility for security across the company, Microsoft is
similar to its rivals. As mashups become an increasingly common form of
developing, cooperation on security is essential for connecting multiple
online applications.
Above all, Boden--like his counterparts at rival companies--says it is
crucial to keep in mind why security is so important. As people continue
to store their information online, the Web is becoming the equivalent of
their personal filing cabinet.
To that end, Boden and his family are no different: they store all their
personal data in Web applications.
"We're definitely all in," he said. "So if it fails, it fails for me
personally and professionally."
Received on Thu Jun 28 00:05:35 2007