Securing the Vista Environment

Network Security

In this section, I discuss security as it relates to networks. When you connect to a corporate network or to the Internet, your system needs to be protected from the threats that are present in those settings.

The network security features in Vista that are discussed here (or elsewhere in this Short Cut) include:

• Firewall. Whenever you take your computer outside of the protection of a network that includes a firewall, you must use Windows Firewall. In Vista, Windows Firewall is turned on by default. Specific firewall settings are discussed in section "Windows Firewall" earlier in this Short Cut.

• File sharing. You can control which files and directories are shared with other computers over the network. This is discussed in detail in section "Filesystem access control" earlier in this Short Cut.

• Network Access Protection. This is a network feature set up and controlled by network administrators.

• Wireless network configuration. If your computer has a built-in or plugged-in Wi-Fi adaptor, it can connect to a Wi-Fi network if one is nearby.

• Network settings.

Network Access Protection

Network Access Protection (NAP) is a tool that network administrators use to help protect the security of an organization's network. When you connect your computer to an NAP-enabled network, the network checks your computer's security settings and environment before permitting it to connect to the network. If anything is missing or outdated, the network will automatically make the necessary changes, ...