Microsoft’s chief software architect, Bill Gates, plans on turning Microsoft’s security problems around, making them into a valuable asset. Already, Microsoft has made some great progress by releasing new security features present in SP2 for Windows XP, and by releasing guides to help administrators - e.g. setup a defense against viruses. Still Bill Gates knows more has to be done, a fact no one will disagree with.
There's no doubt that security is a major concern with Microsoft, especially after Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) recommended that user's of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser consider switching browsers. Bill Gates says that Microsoft is committed to helping companies reduce network costs, and to reduce the complexity involved with securing Windows PCs. In order to do this, Microsoft has to continue to improve the security of it's products, and not freeze the effort like analyst believed it would after SP2 was released.
By now, everyone has their opinion about the security features in SP2. Some analyst believes that more could have been done; a viewpoint easy to say but hard to back up. Security may soon become Microsoft’s newest strength, but it will take a lot of hard work from Microsoft. They need to not only add new security measures to its products, but to also educate its customers.
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There's no doubt that security is a major concern with Microsoft, especially after Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) recommended that user's of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser consider switching browsers. Bill Gates says that Microsoft is committed to helping companies reduce network costs, and to reduce the complexity involved with securing Windows PCs. In order to do this, Microsoft has to continue to improve the security of it's products, and not freeze the effort like analyst believed it would after SP2 was released.
By now, everyone has their opinion about the security features in SP2. Some analyst believes that more could have been done; a viewpoint easy to say but hard to back up. Security may soon become Microsoft’s newest strength, but it will take a lot of hard work from Microsoft. They need to not only add new security measures to its products, but to also educate its customers.
News source: View More Information
The event will climax on Thursday, 23rd September, when Sony's guests and competitions winners will be given VIP access to the Alton Towers Park, including priority access to rides and exclusive access to gaming areas.
They will also be able to enjoy musical performances from various artists - including breakthrough urban acts, established chart artists and upcoming rock bands - as they zoom over sets installed in amidst the park's various spiralling attractions.
Sony is also planning a multi-artist finale within the Alton Towers' castle walls, to be followed by an after-show party in the Stateroom adjacent to the Alton Towers Hotel, with overnight accommodation and a chance for guests and competition winners to mingle with the artists.
The finale performance will also form the basis for a 90-minute televised trip around the PlayStation-tinted Alton Towers, something that Alton Towers' marketing manager Mike Lorimer believes will prove very popular.
"We are very excited to be hosting this event. Not only will it showcase our fantastic rides and attractions to a key audience on TV, but it will also allow every one of our guests access to some fabulous added experiences in the Sony PlayStation areas," he said.
SCE UK's marketing director Alan Duncan, meanwhile, said the new look of the event is important to the development of the PlayStation brand.
"The PlayStation Experience at Alton Towers reflects both our commitment to the evolution of sampling events and to creating original broadcast content which communicates the values of PlayStation to new and existing audiences," he said on Friday.
I believe it's a problem with my firewall though so I'll forgive it for that.
Was an IRQ_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error if anyone cares
SVT
Educating the customers is going to be the hardest task of all, sadly enough.
Most users will not or cannot be bothered to educate themselves, so MS has to remove the risk via programming.
I cringe every time my brother uses my PC. The guy is 29, but still manages to get a crapload of spyware/viruses attempting (only attempting thank the Lord and my AV program) to install themselves if he gets a few hours on my PC.
I've tried many times to educate him myself but it just does not work.
Not that i believe that computer should be expensive or complicated to prohibit the regular user, that is just elitism, but it seems they made the jump too quickly without people having to learn.
Linux advocates will see exploits, blind to the concepts of intelligent administration. They'll say "that last windows vulnerability took out 10,000 machines and stopped someones pacemaker", and cite that this is the end of Microsoft as we know it.
Microsoft advocates will compare number of vulnerabilities from one platform to another and illustrate stability in the codebase as well as resilience through the number of people using it and attempting to exploit. (IE-if Linux were the top dog, it'd have just as many exploits)
What difference does it make? Microsoft is making the statement that security is THE priority going forward. What other company does that? Hell, linux has the unwritten priority of "we just want to take over Microsoft's space." It doesn't even have a security mandate, you have to have a corporate license to do that (and thusly, I risk the wrath of all the OSS/Free/Linux zealots of this board by stating that in order for Linux to truly be secure one must pay more for the product than Microsoft, in a corporate environment)
The key differences between the examples above is simple: The products are both secure, and an idiot administrator can make either exploitable. With XP-SP2, you really have no excuses for exploitation, even without AV (AV would be the redundancy) if you just read the prompts on the screen and followed them. With Linux, it might be just as easy, but hey.
And again, we'd have people going round and round about "but windows has more actual exploits, omg if I run it i'll be haxored"... Baloney. Be a smart administrator.
My underlying point: If you don't see that Microsoft has made a stand (based upon the TCI announcement and subsequent actual action as a result: XP-SP2 and Win2003) and is still committed to improving on that commitment, then you'll never believe. Microsoft's track record: We goofed up on security, we're going to do better (TCI 2002) -- We're working on doing better, here's our new Server (2003) -- We're committed to security still, here's our client update (2004). 2005 and beyond will be R2 of 2003 which will make an already exemplary enterprise level OS even more secure, for even more stupid administrators.
Of course. If a company truly wishes to be secure then they have ti hire competent staff.
Sadly in a lot of companies security and competancy takes a back seat to usablilty and cost.
No problem with usability, MS wins hands down and rightly so (sorry guys but judging by what I've seen of the "average" user, they can barely open Word, let alone figure out *ni
Example (not related to computers but relevant to the costs of downtime);
Fire in an underground tunnel in Manchester a few months back, loads of phone cables burnt, almost a complete telecommunications blackout in Manchester for a few days. There were companies there losing £100000's to £1000000's a DAY because of it.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3561430.stm
You have to get this through Windows Update, or order and wait for the CD. Will they also forbid sharing the CD with friends???
I doubt most P2P users would be smart enough to do that sadly.
Hell, MS have even barred UK PC Mags from putting SP's on coverdisks (not sure about other countries)
But since they're giving away free disks (free from P&P/S&H) it's forgivable.
Sorry, had to comment on that. It's just bad english but making security issues an asset LOL
"New and improved Windows XP with added security vulnerabilities!"
Perhaps it should have read;
good for them because their transformation is actually taking place.
good for the user because the security holes are patched.
STV
Good good, now get to work and make a good firewall or something to show you're serious about it.
The SP2 firewall isn't too hot compared to, say, ZoneAlarm or Kerio.
I'm not asking for a ton of features, but is blocking outgoing connections too much to ask for.
but is blocking outgoing connections too much to ask for.
Actually outbound blocking would be a nightmare. There are dozens of coworkers in my IT dept that have trouble with filtering outbound connections. Most users aren't smart enough to know if app A needs to talk to this IP address. They get frustrated after a while when they get continual pop ups and eventually allow all outbound or remove the firewall completely. It would just be a nightmare for support to have both inbound and outbound blocked right now. Maybe in Longhorn. If you need outbound, then get the above mentioned products.
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