“Microsoft has issued a call to arms at a gathering of European IT security professionals, despite being in the midst of an industry spat with McAfee and Symantec,” Clement James reports for vnunet.com.
“In his keynote address at the RSA Conference Europe 2006, Microsoft Security Technology Unit corporate vice president, Ben Fathi, called on the IT security industry to team with Microsoft in investing in continued innovation to keep pace with ever-evolving threats,” James reports.
James reports, “As a cornerstone to this policy, Fathi described Microsoft’s ongoing investments to enable a trust ecosystem, pointing to security advancements in the forthcoming release of Windows Vista as an important opportunity for the industry to become more proactive in its aim to provide users with a safer computing experience. ‘As threats continue to evolve and computing advances, we need an environment that engenders trust and accountability,’ Fathi said.”
Full article here.
vnunet also features a poll on their site (with current results):
Would you trust Microsoft’s Windows Vista security?
• Yes, absolutely – 0%
• No, I would still want to deploy third-party security technologies – 80%
• It is too early to tell yet – 20%
Vote in the poll here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Jeffrey Z.” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: Microsoft needs an environment that engenders trust and accountability? No problem, we have just the environment for them: Apple’s Mac OS X.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Oxymoron: Microsoft security – August 12, 2006
Symantec researcher: At this time, there are no file-infecting viruses that can infect Mac OS X – July 13, 2006
Sophos: Apple Mac OS X’s security record unscathed; Windows Vista malware just a matter of time – July 07, 2006
Sophos Security: Dump Windows, Get a Mac – July 05, 2006
Apple again leads Consumer Reports’ survey for notebook, desktop computer tech support, value, more – October 16, 2006
Apple Mac desktops, notebooks top PC Magazine’s Annual Reader Satisfaction survey – again – August 22, 2006
Apple far outscores all other PC makers in Consumer Reports Computer Tech Support Survey – May 05, 2006
Apple Mac desktops, portables top PC Magazine’s 2005 Reader Satisfaction survey – August 24, 2005
Apple Computer products top PC Magazine’s annual ‘Best of the Year’ survey – December 16, 2004
Apple Macs top PC Magazine’s ’17th Annual Reader Satisfaction Survey’ – August 10, 2004
Apple leads PC Magazine’s 16th annual Service and Reliability Survey – July 10, 2003
Ben Fathi, called on the IT security industry to team with Microsoft in investing in continued innovation to keep pace with ever-evolving threats
Continued innovation? Um, if MS were being innovative, wouldn’t they eliminate the businesses they are calling to arms?
In related news, sieve makers called on the security industry to team with them in investing in continued innovation to keep pace with ever-evolving leaks.
Isn’t this kind of like setting up a neighbourhood watch scheme then leaving all your doors and windows open when you go out?
Current Poll Numbers as of 9:20 AM CST October 25, 2006
Would you trust Microsoft’s Windows Vista security? • Yes, absolutely – 0% • No, I would still want to deploy third-party security technologies – 72% • It is too early to tell yet – 27%
It’s really bad for M$$$$ and Windows Vista! Folks just do not wanrt much to do with M$$$ these days – I wondder why? Could it be because of M$$$$ past actions or lact thereof!
Somebody needs to put that poll up for a Mac and watch the numbers flip right on over on the positive side. Kindof makes me wonder why they even bothered with the poll. Unless it’s a shill for MS, NOBODY will vote for the Yes part.
It’s days like this that I almost pity Microsoft. Merely talking, holding conferences, and issuing PR statements are not going to make the problem go away. They have “innovated” themselves into the virus platform of choice, and it’s going to take some hard-nosed, difficult decisions to do things right. Unfortunately for them, making those decisions is not part of Microsoft’s DNA. They’ve really expanded as far as they can with what they’ve done in the past and now it’s time to do something different. I don’t think they’ll make that transition, though, between the installed base, the drooling gamers, the enterprise folks, and the IT press. Any change would set this group into spasms of fear and yet to continue as they are leads to the usual daily floggings — either way, they can’t win short term. If Microsoft could think long term, they’d be a worthy adversary, but as it is, it’s like watching the heir to the empire livin’ large while everything crumbles around him.
No: 89%
Too Early: 8%
Yes: 1%
Someones a retard!
I can see the posters hanging around the auditorium now. Bill Gates in the Uncle Sam outfit. “We want you … to help us keep our fly shut.” Now that is what I call inspiring.
MDN Magic Word: self As in: Microsoft, heal thy self.
I really have to ask besides the obvious reasons of how easy it is to compromise security on winBLOWS…..the reason of why people hack it.
Besides all the usual crap about market share yada yada, I NEVER hear that a hacker might be motivated to mess around because of the percieved attitude of the company. Take a look at the convoluted approad M$ takes on DRM, and the draconian liscencing for vista that won’t allow transfer to more than one machine.
Sure liscencing and anti piracy efforts are needed by any software company, Apple does a good job with its stuff, and the Fair Use DRM works for the average user without being in your face about it.
Because M$ is VERY in your face, and draconian with its exploding audio files and frustrating liscence policies, that has got to be reason enough for someone who gets pissed off to try to slap M$ in the face with a nice little virus or other attack, if anything, just to prove that the amazingling frustrating DRM crap can be easily broken. Some would see it as justice.
No “pundit” seems willing to tackle that hypothesis, but I really believe (without real evidence) that there are folks out there motivated by this.
Well, I use Macs, have paid for and/or liscensed my software, music, and video files, and I am not worried about any files that stop working or just blow up because they are either expired or the OS THINKS they are…..fdsk that.
M$ can squirt this, god what a crappy buzzword…Balmer sucks.
rant over—out
I noticed several times where they used the word “investing” in regard to pouring resources into the malware threat. To me the word “investing” implies a certain return on your investment, i.e., a profit. In this case, however, what they mean is to donate a certain amount of their time & energy in order to try and cut back on their losses due to malware.
A real “investment” would be to ditch their Windows garbage and make the switch to Macs.
i find it interesting that microshit, sorry, Soft use the word “trust”. surely the world at large know that the main company not to trust is microshit, done it again, Soft.
I am sure their “partners” in the “Plays fo Sure” campaign sure dont trust them anymore, or realnetworksm for that matter, if fact i think the next company to get fleeced mightwell be Toshiba, As zune is a disaster waiting to happen
H
I see the new 1% total Poll vote registerd today for “Yes Absolutely” Means Ballmer finally had time to vote.
Might reach 2% if Bill votes soon.
All of the Micro$oft employees in the world won’t get that Yes to move ove 2%
Would you trust Microsoft’s Windows Vista security?
No, I would still want to deploy third-party security technologies 92%
It is too early to tell yet 6%
Yes, absolutely 1%</pre>
Dumb poll; it should have a fourth option:
“Hell no, I’ll use Linux or Mac OS X!”
From: rasterbator
Oct 25, 06 – 01:16 pm
All of the Micro$oft employees in the world won’t get that Yes to move ove 2%
No, I would still want to deploy third-party security technologies 86%
Yes, absolutely 7%
It is too early to tell yet 5%
Odd. I managed to do it just by control clicking on the “submit your vote” button about 20 times.
I hope the 1% crowd aren’t actual IT people as that would really be scary for whatever company they work for. In any event, the word “absolutely” should be a put-off for most. Vista already has viruses, so how could any knowledgeble individual vote “absolutely” unless they are truly clueless?
Fonny, Cpt.Obvious! You must be a digg user too.
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Seems like the word got out and someone is screwing the poll, so to speak, in the other direction.
No, I would still want to deploy third-party security technologies 49%
Yes, absolutely 47%
It is too early to tell yet 2%
wow..Microsoft and ‘trust’ in the same sentence..
my vote put it at 2 percent. so shut the hell up. billy gates rules and ballmer is my hero.
Ha! Were catching up suckers:
Would you trust Microsoft’s Windows Vista security?
No, I would still want to deploy third-party security technologies 53%
Yes, absolutely 43%
It is too early to tell yet 2%
Did someone astroturf the site and vote repeatedly? It shot up from 2% to 43%. (Yes, you can multiple-vote, it didn’t even set the cookie to prevent multiple voting much less IP checking. Stupid!) Someone at MS may be ashamed at the result.
No, I would … 53%
Yes, absolutely 43%
It is too early… 2%</pre>
Sounds like Microsoft wants other people to do their work for them.
I wish that poll had 4 options instead of just 3. The 4th should have been, “Not on your life. I’m using Mac OS X!!”