Microsoft says that it won’t include WebGL support in version 10 of Internet Explorer because the 3-D graphics API renders video hardware drivers vulnerable to potential attacks. Without a viable way to secure the drivers, Microsoft is not working on a way to support the protocols.

Driver Vulnerability Risks Too Great

At the heart of the company’s concern is the fact that the WebGL approach could allow a malicious Web site to exploit a computer’s video and graphics hardware to get to system-level functions that are usually insulated from such attacks. Because of the way WebGL (and OpenGL) are designed, there is no good way to resolve the concerns. In addition, the open source nature of the WebGL development gives Microsoft additional pause.

Video and graphics drivers have never been considered a possible attack vector, and aren’t hardened the way other potentially vulnerable parts of the operating system are. Changing the way WebGL works won’t necessarily resolve the list of open issues. The problem is more related to potential vulnerabilities in the most common video and graphics drivers, which are written by third party manufacturers. Microsoft (and other browser authors that have already implemented WebGL support) don’t have enough control over driver construction to ensure that users will have a safe experience while using WebGL services. Microsoft has publicly complained that these hardware driver authors have never before been concerned about device security, so it’s unlikely that they will begin writing more secure hardware driver code as part of their WebGL support.

Microsoft has long history of dealing with security flaws and the resulting exploits. In recent versions of the operating system, the company has gone to great lengths to ensure that its operating system and component parts are safe and secure. Having made user security a significant element of its product development cycle, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the company would reject WebGL on the basis of security.

WebGL support has been built into the latest version of Firefox, Chrome and Safari, although it is not enabled by default in Safari, as it is in Firefox and Chrome. For its part, Microsoft states that it believes that WebGL will become a source of “hard-to-fix vulnerabilities.” The widespread adoption of WebGL remains to be seen. While the service is attractive to the gaming community because it provides hardware accelerated graphics for Web-based games, nagging concerns about security may see the majority of users disabling WebGL support at the browser level.

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Microsoft increased the security of its 64-bit OS by requiring signed Windows drivers for the latest version of its operating system. Unsigned Windows drivers may still be loaded but they must be authorized by the user each time the system is rebooted. By insisting on signed drivers, Microsoft was hoping to eliminate the system’s ability to load rogue drivers created as part of a malware attack, or just as a function of sloppy programming.

BlackHole Exploit Kit Turns Off Signed Driver Requirement

Not all system are vulnerable to the attack, but for those systems with unpatched versions of Java or Adobe Reader, to suppress the Patchguard function that checks for signed Windows drivers. Patchguard is designed to protect 64-bit versions of Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows Server. With Patchguard out of the way, additional malware exploits can be loaded that disable anti-virus and anti-malware programs.

The first step to take, of course, is to ensure that systems with vulnerable versions of Java and Reader are patched. These patches come from the manufacturer and can be applied quickly. For systems with continued vulnerability, the absence of Patchguard by itself won’t raise many (if any) ripples, since Patchguard usually works in the background unless a problem arises.

Other programs that may be disabled as part of the exploit are more likely to tip off a user that something is wrong. Anti-malware software that doesn’t work correctly, doesn’t issue standard alerts, or exhibits unusual behavior could be a clue that something is not right with the system.

This underscores the importance of keeping your system, including your Windows drivers and applications updated. Most people think that operating system flaws are the only source of OS insecurity. The BlackHole Exploit Kit demonstrates quite neatly that applications that interact with the OS at a low level also have the ability to impact the overall security of the system.

Keeping your OS patched and your drivers updated is of limited value if you don’t also keep your applications up-to-date. Hackers and other malware programmers will look for exploits in the most common applications and OS extensions. That Java and Flash, as well as “utility” applications like browsers, PDF readers, and viewers of one sort or another.

By keeping your entire system properly updated, you can keep your computer protected. You should also be aware of what constitutes proper and improper behavior from your computer, and investigate when unusual events start to occur.

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If you follow maintenance guidelines for your PC at all, you should know that Microsoft generally releases updates on the second Tuesday of the month, affectionately known as “Patch Tuesday.” Microsoft also uses the fourth Tuesday of the month to issue updates, and of course, the company can issue critical updates at any time. Do Windows updates include driver updates?

The Long And Short Of Windows Updates

Microsoft works closely with hardware vendors to ensure that hardware drivers are updated correctly and consistently. That doesn’t mean Microsoft has any sway over businesses that don’t update their Windows drivers, and it doesn’t mean that you’ll get your Windows driver updates through Microsoft when the hardware vendor makes a new driver update available.

That leaves users in the same position they’ve always been in: if you get your driver updates from Microsoft, apply them, but don’t assume that because you didn’t get a driver update from Microsoft that there are no driver updates for your hardware.

Ultimately, you need to check with the hardware manufacturer to determine whether or not a Windows driver update is available, and if one is, does it apply to your computer.

I’m not sure which is worse: not updating drivers at all, or applying the wrong driver to your system. I tend to think that going without driver updates will eventually catch up with you. On the other hand, applying the wrong driver may sink your system quite neatly, or it may not permit your hardware to interface with the computer correctly in all (or any) circumstances. Either way, the outcome seems similar, doesn’t it?

Driver updates are motivated by a couple of reasons. Either the OS manufacturer has updated something that has “broken” an existing driver. In that case, you’ll know about your driver problem immediately after you install the system update and your hardware stops working.

Another major motivator behind driver updates is bug fixing. If you have hardware and it fails to operate under certain conditions, the failure might be the result of faulty or incomplete programming on the part of the manufacturer. These driver problems express themselves typically as hardware failures or function failures under certain circumstances. You want these updates because you want to have access to the full range of your hardware’s capabilities.

I don’t rely on Microsoft to find driver updates for my hardware. I use Driver Detective to locate and install new drivers. Driver Detective also stores a backup copy of each driver, and can tell if a driver has become corrupted or is missing. Driver Detective does the work associated with finding the correct hardware driver, and I can be sure that my Windows hardware drivers are always up-to-date.

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If you’re getting ready for Windows 7 SP1, you may be somewhat anxious about the outcome of applying it to your system. Patch Tuesday always brings a small measure of angst. Although you know you should patch your system, you also know that sometimes the cure is worse than the ailment. Nothing is more true when it comes to Windows drivers and gauging the effects of patches and service packs on a relatively workable system.

What’s The Worst That Could Happen?

We’ve all asked that question when it comes to updating or upgrading a system. The “worst that could happen” is that you foul up a working system. Windows drivers that had been working correctly may stop working, or hardware functions that you value may suddenly go dark.

This sets off a cycle of searching for driver updates for your hardware. If you find updated drivers, you download them, not knowing whether they’ll work or not. Some technicians swear by the method of removing the old Windows driver before installing the updated hardware driver. Others simply install the new driver and keep on rolling.

Setting aside the installation results for a moment, hunting for and downloading drivers is the most time-consuming part of the process. Many technicians still use the time-honored “go to the vendor site” route. This method gives you a little more control over the process than automatic driver updates through Windows do. It also may put you in touch with the correct hardware driver sooner than Windows Update will.

Not all computers are configured to update drivers automatically. Although this is what Microsoft recommends, some users prefer to do things the old-fashioned way, usually after having been burned by a bad update, or by missing out on critical driver updates.

I prefer to use Driver Detective to manage my Windows driver updates. Driver Detective will locate, download, install and back up your Windows drivers. It will also completely remove old driver software from your system files to prevent it from loading or conflicting with new versions of your drivers.

With Driver Detective, you don’t have to hunt for new drivers, or worry that you’ve accidentally downloaded and installed the incorrect version of a driver for your computer. Driver Detective will also monitor the function of your drivers to determine whether the installed drivers are operating properly. If a driver is corrupted or has gone missing, Driver Detective will install a fresh copy so you don’t have to.

Driver Detective works with any version of Windows, which is why I trust Driver Detective to keep Windows hardware drivers up-to-date.

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