Microsoft releases new security APIs

Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3 might almost be upon us but that doesn't mean that Microsoft doesn't have a few surprises up its sleeve with regard to the service packs. To wit, the company has announced that new security-related APIs will be made available with the service packs, making it easier for developers to plug into the Data Execution Prevention (DEP) technology that's built-into Windows. DEP is designed to prevent certain types of exploits, like common buffer overflow attacks, by blocking the attack code from being executed in a machine's memory. With the new APIs, it should be easier for developers to take advantage of DEP protection in the applications that they build. "We can now allow the application to be protected, even if the developer is using an old version of [Active Template Library]," said Michael Howard, principal security program manager at Microsoft. "DEP is a good defense, and we want to make it easier for developers to use it."

For more on the new APIs:
- see this ComputerWorld article