Traditional methods failing.

Security specialist are now acknowleding that the standard approach to combating malware is flawed. Blacklisting, where code is prevented from running, is a reactive measure. Enter Whitelisting. This control method allows only pre-approved software (the whitelist) to run on a machine. Any unknown or unwanted code is prevented from executing.

Vendors such as Bit9 have been pushing this control method for some time now and have an impressive capability. Also, Microsoft appear to be taking  whitelisting one step further with Bitlocker. The tool encrypts the hard disk and only allows it to work on a specific machine. The software can also be set up for user authentication, so a computer will only boot after the user enters a unique key stored on USB. Who said Microsoft weren’t interested in security?

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