Re: Microsoft declares security is NOT its top priority
From: Gene K (genekRe_at_MOVEolivianc.net)
Date: 07/01/04
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Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 20:24:19 -0400
One mans opinion.
Gene
hermes wrote:
> perfb wrote:
>
>> As M$ is refusing to allow all installations of its defective
>> OS to be patched, it is apparent that internet security is NOT the top
>> priority at M$. Any M$ argument to the contrary
>> is thoroughly refuted by this simple fact.
>>
>> to wit:
>>
>> -----------------------------------------------
>>
>> Tuesday, 01 June 2004
>> Microsoft's actions speak louder than words
>> by Bruce Schneier, Network World Comment: is security Microsoft's top
>> priority?
>> The security of your computer and network depends on two things: what
>> you do to secure your computer and network, and what everyone else
>> does to secure their computers and networks. It's not enough for you
>> to maintain a secure network. If other people don't maintain their
>> security, we're all more vulnerable to attack.
>> When many unsecure computers are connected to the Internet, worms
>> spread faster and more extensively, distributed denial-of-service
>> attacks are easier to launch, and spammers have more platforms from
>> which to send e-mail. The more unsecure the average computer on the
>> Internet is, the more unsecure your computer is.
>>
>> It's like malaria: everyone is safer when we all work together to
>> drain the swamps and increase the level of hygiene in our community.
>>
>> This is the backdrop against which to view Microsoft's Windows XP
>> security upgrade: Service Pack 2 (SP2). SP2 is a major security
>> upgrade. It includes features such as Windows Firewall, an enhanced
>> personal firewall that is turned on by default, better automatic
>> patching and other security improvements.
>>
>> Initial news stories reported that Microsoft would make this upgrade
>> available to all XP users, both licensed and unlicensed. To me, this
>> was a smart move on Microsoft's part. Think about all the ways the
>> company would benefit. Licensed users would be more secure and
>> happier. Worms that attack Microsoft products would be less virulent,
>> so Microsoft wouldn't look as bad in the press. Microsoft would win,
>> its customers would win and the Internet would win. It's the kind of
>> marketing move about which best-selling books are written.
>>
>> Then Microsoft said the initial comments were wrong; SP2 would not run
>> on pirated copies of XP. Only legal copies of the software could be
>> secured. This is the wrong decision, for all the same reasons that the
>> initial decision was the correct one.
>>
>> Of course, Microsoft is within its rights to deny service to pirates.
>> It makes sense for the company to make sure performance or feature
>> upgrades do not run on pirated software. Microsoft wants to deny the
>> benefits of its products to people who haven't paid for them, and
>> entice these people to become licensed users. But security upgrades
>> are different. Microsoft is harming its licensed users by denying
>> security to unlicensed users.
>>
>> This decision, more than anything else Microsoft has said or done in
>> the past few years, proves to me that security is not the company's
>> first priority. Here was a chance for Microsoft to do the right thing:
>> to put security ahead of profits. Here was a chance to look good in
>> the press and improve security for all its users worldwide. Microsoft
>> says that improving security is the most important thing, but its
>> actions prove otherwise.
>>
>> SP2 is an important security upgrade to Windows XP, and I hope it is
>> widely installed among licensed XP users. I also hope it is quickly
>> pirated, so unlicensed XP users also can install it. For me to remain
>> secure on the Internet, I need everyone to become more secure. And the
>> more people who install SP2, the more we all benefit.
>>
>> Schneier is CTO of Counterpane Internet Security and author of Beyond
>> Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World. He can
>> be reached at www.schneier.com.
>
>
> http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/06/22/1413221&mode=thread&tid=109&tid=126&tid=128&tid=172&tid=187
>
>
> goldragon writes "TechRepublic is reporting that "Microsoft is pulling
> out all the stops to improve security. So much so, in fact, that it will
> cause many problems because SP2 will de-emphasize backward compatibility
> with legacy systems and code for the sake of security." One small step
> forward for Microsoft, one giant leap backwards for mankind?"
>
> http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-6264_11-5222856.html?tag=sc
>
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