Microsoft Security is Nothing to Sneeze at

I frequently have people write to me to discuss how much Windows sucks and how great open source is. They say it as if Windows is my only security problem and Linux, Apache, and Firefox are our saviors. I often write back that I use Windows and Linux on a daily basis -- and any of them can be secure or insecure. They then somehow take that to mean I'm a Windows zealot because I have the audacity to stand up for Microsoft every now and then.

Here's the plain truth: Malicious mobile code has been around since before Microsoft was a company, and it will be around long after they are a historical footnote. If Microsoft disappears, that won't stop mischievous hackers from writing rogue programs. Real security solutions aren't as easy as replacing Windows with another alternative. Real security means persuasive authentication, loss of anonymity, less functionality, peer code review, and programmers learning security along with their first GOTO statement. End-users will have to accept that security means slower development times and more expensive products.

News source: InfoWorld