Microsoft opens Vista for security
Link: Microsoft opens Vista for security
Microsoft has suddenly announced that it’s new Windows Vista operating system will be open to third-party security software - such as McAfee and Norton - to help protect users against malware threats.
This comes as a surprise as previously Microsoft had insisted that Microsoft alone would have root access to Vista, essentially locking out security vendors.
This would have meant that Microsoft alone would have been reponsible for keeping PC’s protected against malware - a stance that was recently roundly criticised as exposing users to security threats.
The sudden change of heart comes only weeks before Vista’s planned release, and only weeks after the core of the Vista program was found to be insecure.
There’s everyone reason for the cynic to suggest that Microsoft have realised that they just aren’t in a position to be able to properly safeguard Vista users on security issues.
However, it remains to be seen how quickly Microsoft can communicate key code to security vendors, so that they can code applications to work with it.
With only weeks away, it may be too little too late for the first wave of Vista users.
