 SteveI know your IP addressConsultant
join:2001-03-10
Yorba Linda, CA
kudos:5 | said by ghost16825:I know you're only repeating what you heard, but are they really pushing Least Privilege as a priority? This depends largely on whether you go by "what they say" or "what they do" - I made it a point to ask nearly every MSFTer I met, and only one ran non-admin on the desktop. Most knew this was not a good thing, but they had to get their work done. They have what I am taken to understand is a heavy and specific project to make this happen (the LUA project) on campus, but at some point you have to wonder whether they really mean it or not when I hear a lot of the "Yah, it's a great idea, but I don't do it myself".
It really is a serious pain in the ass, and one does have to get his work done every day, but it's still a disappointment. I am non-admin on my desktop, as well as on the laptop upon which I am typing these notes.
But I will say: I am sure there are departments for "those who eat babies" and "losers", but I haven't met any of them. One hundred percent of MSFTers I have met have been sharp, passionate, and really cared about their users and security. I have a pretty good BS detector, and there is a certain amount of being overly-cautious that goes with working for a quasi-regulated company, but I haven't found even one person I didn't like.
Really: you might hate how Microsoft does business, you may dislike their software, but nobody gets to say that these people are not passionate. This counts for a lot with me: passionate people do not just punch a time clock.
I have had my Linux "tux" pin on the whole time, and have gotten z-e-r-o flack for it. Lots of MSFTers have extensive experience with *ix (none more than me yet), and they appreciated things with merit. It's been really refreshing.
This evening the Security and Networking people had a shared dinner, and many Microsoft people were there. The networking was great, but they had hired this magician for ambient entertainment: he was astonishingly good. Steffan Soule had an amazing act, low-key personally but perfect execution, and I watched for at least an hour and saw neither a dup or a slip. Just an amazing presentation: if you live in the Seattle area and need a guy for a corporate function, he's soooo worth whatever he charges.
There is something about a skilled artisan that really rings well with me, and this guy just hit it out of the park.
It's after midnight, and I really gotta crash: will write more tomorrow.
Steve
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Stephen J. Friedl • Unix Wizard • Microsoft Security MVP • Tustin, California USA • my web site |
