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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Most users don’t consider a driver update a welcome part of owning or maintaining a PC. In fact, many a PC have skated through their useful lives without updated Windows drivers, and have performed just fine. Updating Windows drivers is one of those things that sometimes falls into the category of “If-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it.” If you’ve been around Windows for a long time, you might think there’s something to this, but keeping your Windows drivers updated can produce some very positive results.

Windows Hardware Drivers Are Maintained By The Manufacturer

Windows hardware drivers are made by hardware manufacturers. They don’t come from Windows, although some users get confused on this point because, in fact, driver updates can be delivered via Windows Update. The hardware manufacturer makes and updates the driver; Microsoft just distributes it.

You don’t have to get your driver updates through Microsoft, and in fact, Microsoft doesn’t always have the driver updates you want. Unfortunately, the drivers distributed through Windows Update aren’t always the correct version for the hardware you’re running, and installing such a mismatch can be … well… less than satisfying.

Another option for installing new drivers is to go to the driver manufacturer and look for the correct drivers on your own. This is also somewhat unrewarding because it can take quite awhile to find the right driver, and driver installations are about as interesting as watching cars go by.

One great alternative to either hoping Microsoft has gotten things right or spending an hour of time searching for driver updates that may or may not exist is to turn the entire process over to Driver Detective. Driver Detective is a hardware driver management program that keeps tabs on all of the installed drivers on your computer. It downloads the correct drivers, looks for new updates, installs new drivers, backs up the drivers that are in use on the computer and keeps tabs on the driver’s operation so that if it gets corrupted or lost, a new copy can be installed right away.

Driver Detective saves me (and you, and anyone else who uses it) the trouble of having to go out searching for new or updated drivers. Driver Detective can determine which drivers are needed based on the hardware that’s installed on your computer, so you always get the right driver downloaded and installed. Driver Detective is one of the tools I recommend. Driver management can be simple or complicated. With Driver Detective, driver management is about as easy as it gets.

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As a technician, I can say that the most valuable tool I have is my time. Most computer problems aren’t easy to solve, if only because it takes time to figure out what’s going on with a computer. The actual problem may be simple, or the solution may take no more than a minute or two to apply, but getting to the point where you know what’s wrong can take a lot of mental effort. That’s why I appreciate time-saving tools like virus scanners, defragmenters and driver management software. Driver Detective is the driver management software package I use and recommend.

Driver Detective Does What You Don’t Have Time To Do

Driver Detective saves me a lot of time. Whether I’m troubleshooting a driver problem or just performing routine maintenance, I need to spend some amount of time with the computer. With Driver Detective, however, I don’t need to check on the status of the installed drivers, because Driver Detective does that for me.

I don’t need to figure out whether a driver has gotten corrupted or deleted because Driver Detective watches the installed drivers and can tell me whether something has gone wrong. I don’t need to spend even one minute going out to a manufacturer’s Web site and checking for driver updates because Driver Detective does that, too. When a driver update is released, Driver Detective automatically downloads it and installs it.

I don’t need to back up a copy of the installed driver because Driver Detective will take care of that for me. I also don’t need to back up the registry before I install a new driver because Driver Detective has that covered, too. In fact, I don’t even need to install new driver updates because once again, Driver Detective takes care of that.

If you’ve ever performed these steps manually, you already know how much a driver management program like Driver Detective can help. If you’ve never downloaded drivers for your hardware, I invite you to spend an afternoon searching for the correct drivers for your hardware, downloading them, and installing them. It’s not fun, but it is time-consuming. You also run the risk that one or more of your driver downloads will goof up something else on your computer. Then you can have the experience of rolling back a driver update and restoring the backup copy of your registry. (You did remember to back up the registry, didn’t you?)

After spending an afternoon on this little project, you’ll understand why I like, use and recommend Driver Detective.

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The importance of having driver updates for Windows loaded on your computer can’t be understated. . In the past, computer owners would have to go to the manufacturer to get driver updates, and there was no good way to know when a driver was updated. Most people just waited until they had problems, then went looking for solutions.

Driver Updates Aren’t As Automatic As You Think

The issue of Windows drivers came right to the forefront with Windows Vista. Many manufacturers didn’t provide updated drivers for their existing products. In fact, many vendors basically abandoned the products they had on store shelves and in development because they would not create a working driver that was compatible with Windows Vista.

The “whys” involved in the situation are too long to go into, but many devices were not designed with a newer operating system environment. With Vista (and with XP to a lesser extent), manufacturers had to worry about making 32-bit AND 64-bit drivers. Windows XP and earlier operating systems were designed to work as 32-bit systems; 64-bit operation was an option but it wasn’t all that popular.

With Windows Vista, the system has a 32-bit mode, but its really designed as a 64-bit system. This is something of a problem for users who upgrade their system bit-by-bit because running the 64-bit version of any operating system requires you to have a processor that can DO 64-bit processing. If you were hoping to get by with just an OS upgrade from XP to Vista, you’d be disappointed unless your processor had the right stuff.

At the time Windows Vista was introduced, Microsoft was betting that most computer users had the right stuff to run Vista, and most peripheral manufacturers were betting that most users didn’t. They hedged their bets a little bit by not writing Vista drivers for much of their product line. By slowing down the upgrade curve, manufacturers could save themselves a lot of work and head off consumer complaints – at least for a while. Windows Vista was a nice operating system, but for the lack of drivers for even the most common peripherals.

When Windows 7 hit the shelves, hardware manufacturers were behind the 8-ball, so to speak. They had no functional 64-bit drivers but the consumers were squarely in the “upgrade the OS” corner. Windows 7 is a nice operating system, too. Even a year after its release, manufacturers are scrambling to catch up by releasing drivers for their existing product line. No one should expect that third party manufacturers will come to the table later in the game. Instead, consumers should reward the manufacturers who are ready with Windows 7 drivers, and leave behind the manufacturers that want to engage in brinksmanship on the issue of drivers. Windows 7 turns out to be a great opportunity for companies with ready-to-go drivers that want to make the most of the switch to Windows 7.

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