“Microsoft can expect thousands of extra technical support calls after the release of its security update for Windows XP this summer, according to security analysts,” Munir Kotadia reports for CNET News. “The Windows XP security update will turn security options on by default, which means that many users will need to reconfigure their software in order to connect to wireless networks, game servers and even their home networks.”
Kotadia reports, “Microsoft faced strong criticism for its slack attitude to security until two years ago, when chairman Bill Gates decided to change the company’s software development procedures and make security a top priority. The Service Pack 2 (SP2) is designed to completely change the way Windows XP handles security by automatically turning on the firewall and consolidating the operating system’s security functions.”
Russ Cooper, chief scientist at risk management specialists TruSecure and editor of the NTBugtraq newsletter, “warns that increased security means more technical support calls: ‘Turning on the Internet Connection Firewall will cause consumers to not be able to access services they were able to access prior to the SP, such as game servers. This will result in support calls, as the consumer tries to get back what they had prior to SP installation,’ he said,’ Kotadia reports.
Full article here.
