Windows 11 will gain in security, here’s how

To preserve (or improve) the security of an operating system, it is sometimes necessary to know how to prune. This is what Microsoft is preparing to do by officially disabling versions 1.0 and 1.1 of the TLS protocol on Windows 11.

They may not tell you anything, but the first versions of the TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocol will very soon be formally deactivated on Windows 11 and future versions of the operating system (Windows 11 version 23H2 or Windows 12, notably).

TLS 1.0 and 1.1, it’s over

Microsoft has indeed announced the deactivation of versions TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1, launched respectively in 1999 and 2006, in order to improve the security of its OS… these two versions harboring vulnerabilities having already been identified over the years. However, we learn that before reaching this decision, Microsoft monitored the use of TLS for several years to ensure that it only decommissioned what deserved to be decommissioned.

Note that these two versions are actually dated. In its consumer versions, the transition to TLS 1.2 has been effective since Windows 8, while version 1.3 of TLS is already supported by Windows 11.

” In recent years, Internet standards and regulators have deprecated or banned TLS versions 1.0 and 1.1, due to various security issues. We have been tracking the use of TLS for several years and believe that [l’utilisation] of TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1 is weak enough to act “Explains a Microsoft spokesperson in a press release.

” In order to increase security for Windows users and encourage the adoption of modern protocols, TLS versions 1.0 and 1.1 will soon be disabled by default in the operating system, starting with the Insider Preview of Windows 11 in September 2023 and future versions of the Windows operating system “, we read.

Disabling to boost security

This deactivation follows a similar action taken with respect to TLS versions 1.0 and 1.1 on Edge and Internet Explorer. Mozilla has also taken this same step on Firefox. It is therefore not surprising that it is now the turn of Windows.

This measure also comes in a context of strengthening Windows security in recent months. Recently, for example, Microsoft announced the abandonment of MSDT, followed by the removal of VBScript and the addition of Rust to the Windows kernel. a few days ago, the firm also hinted that other security functions related to TPM type chips could be planned in the future, in particular for Windows 12.

Source : Neowin