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Improved Smart Card Support
Although password-based authentication has well-understood security limitations, deploying strong
authentication technologies remains a challenge for many organizations. Building on the smart card
infrastructure advances made in Windows Vista, Windows 7 eases smart card deployment through the
support of Plug and Play. The drivers required to support smart cards and smart card readers are auto-
matically installed without the need for administrative permissions or user interaction, which helps ease
the deployment of strong, two-factor authentication in the enterprise. Also, Windows 7 extends the
platform support of PKINIT (RFC 5349) to include ECC-based smart cards, allowing the use of Elliptic
Curve-backed certicates on smart cards for Windows Logon.
Enhanced Audit
Windows 7 improves on the audit capabilities provided in Windows Vista, making it easier for organizations
to meet regulatory and business requirements. Enhancements include simplied management of audit
congurations through integration with Group Policy, reporting on why someone was granted or denied
access to specic information, and easier monitoring of the changes made by specic people or groups.
Streamlined User Account Control
We introduced User Account Control (UAC) in Windows Vista to help increase security and improve total
cost of ownership by allowing the operating system to be deployed without administrative privileges.
Windows 7 continues the investment in UAC with changes that enhance the user experience and give
users more control over when UAC prompts are displayed. We’ve reduced the number of operating
system applications and tasks that require elevation, so standard users can do more than before while
experiencing fewer elevation prompts.
Note: For more information on how UAC in Windows 7 enhances the user experience, please see the “Windows 7 for You” section of
this document.
Domain Name System Security Extensions
The Domain Name System (DNS) is an essential protocol that supports many everyday Internet activities,
including e-mail delivery, Web browsing, and instant messaging. DNS, however, was designed more than
three decades ago, at a time when today’s security concerns couldn’t possibly be anticipated. DNS Secu-
rity Extensions (DNSSEC) provide the security services required for today’s Internet. Windows 7 supports
DNSSEC as specied in RFCs 4033, 4034, and 4035, giving you greater condence that domain name
records are not being spoofed and helping you protect against malicious activities.