In Windows Vista x64, drivers are required to be signed by someone holding a VeriSign code certificate or they won’t load. There is no way to (permanently) disable this signing even if you are Administrator. The F8 startup menu has an option to disable it, but you must select it every time you boot up. Microsoft’s claimed reason for this is that it prevents Trojans from installing kernel-mode rootkits. That is a load of crap.
Black Hat letdown
I went to Black Hat over Wednesday and Thursday. The presentation most people wanted to see (including me) was Joanna Rutkowska breaking the Vista x64 driver signing that I hate so much. I wanted to see what trick she’d found. I was let down, however, when she presented her technique.