Vista Crash Logging

[mpettitt]

In Windows Vista, Microsoft have bumped up the functionality of the "Report Crash" system. Application authors can now get an account on the report server, and view error reports regarding the software they have linked to their account (not sure how the linking works - it could be in the application somewhere, or it could be part of the signing

Comments

[the_hunter]

You are a very bad young man. I have it on good authority that Slippery Jim is of good character, and is simply misunderstood!
Yours faithfully
James Bolivar

[mpettitt]

Of course he is. By exposing the problems within the system, he hopes to educate people. And make a bit of money to pay off the Galactic Revenue people at the same time. And I authorised it.

Inskipp

[nicholaw]

I can't say that I particularly understand your concern, even if the scenario seems plausible. Why would a messenger client need to send captured data in such an indirect manner? I suppose that if you're using some kind of IP-based rather than app-based whitelisting it might give an advantage, but the reasons to then use the crash-logging channel instead of the messaging platform would seem rather weak.

On the other hand, I suppose a program which handles sensitive data and would other be granted no connectivity might now be more vulnerable.

In summary: people need to be careful what they download. Which is the case just now. And are they?

[mpettitt]

Nope - people will download anything and run it. I'd be more concerned about, say, someone who had heard that using a password safe was a good idea who then went out and downloaded the first one they found. It sounds stupid, but people are stupid. And with the sheer number of warning dialogs you can get with Vista, I suspect people are going to get warning fatigue...