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GSEC · Question #143

What is a security feature available with Windows Vista and Windows 7 that was not present in previous Windows operating systems?

The correct answer is B. User Account Control (UAC). User Account Control (UAC) was a new security feature introduced in Windows Vista that was not present in Windows XP or earlier versions.

Windows and Malware

Question

What is a security feature available with Windows Vista and Windows 7 that was not present in previous Windows operating systems?

Options

  • AData Execution Prevention (DEP)
  • BUser Account Control (UAC)
  • CEncrypting File System (EFS)
  • DBuilt-in IPSec Client

How the community answered

(19 responses)
  • A
    5% (1)
  • B
    84% (16)
  • D
    11% (2)

Why each option

User Account Control (UAC) was a new security feature introduced in Windows Vista that was not present in Windows XP or earlier versions.

AData Execution Prevention (DEP)

Data Execution Prevention (DEP) was introduced in Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows Server 2003 SP1, predating Vista and Windows 7.

BUser Account Control (UAC)Correct

User Account Control (UAC) was introduced with Windows Vista as a new privilege management mechanism that limits applications to standard user privileges by default and prompts for explicit user consent when administrative elevation is required. This feature was specifically absent in Windows XP and earlier, where applications routinely ran with full administrator rights by default. UAC significantly reduced the attack surface by requiring deliberate user approval for privileged operations.

CEncrypting File System (EFS)

Encrypting File System (EFS) was introduced in Windows 2000 and was available in Windows XP Professional, so it was not a new feature in Vista.

DBuilt-in IPSec Client

Windows XP included a built-in IPSec client, meaning IPSec support was not a new security capability introduced with Vista or Windows 7.

Concept tested: Windows Vista UAC as new privilege management feature

Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/application-security/application-control/user-account-control/how-it-works

Topics

#UAC#User Account Control#Windows Vista#OS security features

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