well, it ain't out yet.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Justin Philips" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2004 10:05 PM
Hi Listers,
Looks like we will be worse off in terms of accessibility to information =
if Bill Gates has his way. Read article below to find out more!
Albert
New Microsoft security to include 'Active protection'
Business Times
26 Feb 2004
SAN FRANCISCO - Microsoft Corp Chairman Bill Gates, whose company's =
software is often
derided for being buggy and vulnerable to hackers, showed off planned =
features for
shoring up its programs and heading off cyberattacks.
Progress is being made against viruses, network attacks and sloppy code =
that make
systems vulnerable, said Mr Gates. But, he added, a lot more work =
remains.
'The people who attack these systems are getting more and more =
sophisticated,' Mr
Gates said on Tuesday. 'For every time we take a type of attack and =
eliminate that
as an opportunity, they move up to a whole new level. That's not an =
unending process
- we can make it dramatically difficult.'
Speaking to thousands of security experts at the RSA Conference, Mr =
Gates said Microsoft's
Trustworthy Computing Initiative - unveiled two years ago after several =
embarrassing
Windows flaws were exploited by viruses and hackers - is paying off.
In the first 300 days after the launch of the Windows 2000 Server =
operating system,
38 security bulletins were issued. The first major product released =
after the initiative,
Windows Server 2003, has had just nine bulletins in the first 300 days.
'Everything we're doing has been impacted (by the initiative),' Mr Gates =
said. 'Over
the past two years, we have made a lot of progress.'
Mr Gates showed off an upcoming Windows XP update that focuses on =
security improvements.
Service Pack 2, which will be available later this year, includes a =
centralised control
centre where users can automatically check their computer's security =
status, such
as whether all critical updates have been applied or whether antivirus =
software is
running.
Unlike earlier Windows releases, Microsoft's firewall software will be =
turned on
as part of the default installation. A firewall blocks intruders from =
entering a
system.
In the new service pack, the Internet Explorer browser will now have a =
pop-up ad
blocker as well.
Beyond the Windows service release, Mr Gates also showed off 'active =
protection technologies'
that will gird Windows computers against attacks by sensing changes in =
the network
that indicate virus activity. If a problem is detected, the computer's =
firewall will
dynamically ratchet up defences.
A number of companies at the conference were showing products similarly =
geared towards
detecting unusual activity in networks.
Microsoft isn't limiting its fixes to its operating system. The company =
also plans
to update its popular Visual Studio development software so that, for =
example, code
can be scanned for potential problems as it's being written.
Mr Gates also said e-mail spam - which often contains viruses or is sent =
from infected
computers - is being targeted. He proposed technology that would confirm =
the sender
of an e-mail is authentic. 'Caller ID for E-Mail' will be tested in the =
company's
Hotmail service, he said, without providing a specific time frame.
Mr Gates said Microsoft is working with governments and companies by =
sharing its
software source code, or blueprint. Thirty governments and thousands of =
companies
now have access to Windows code to look for problems.
This month's leak of a portion of the code to a previous version of =
Windows was not
the result of the Shared Source program, Mr Gates said.
Mr Gates also announced a deal with RSA Security Inc to make it possible =
for companies
to use a more secure system than simple user names and passwords to log =
into Windows
computers.
In addition to providing a password, users of the RSA system must enter =
a random
number that appears on a keychain or plastic card they carry with them. =
The number
changes every minute, generated by an algorithm that also resides on a =
server inside
a company's computing centre.
Microsoft's trustworthy computing plans are important, but they are a =
piece of a
much larger puzzle, said Robert Holleyman, president of the Business =
Software Alliance.
A broader understanding among users is necessary to ensure security.
'There's not a single solution to the problem of cybersecurity,' he =
said. 'It's a
range of solutions that need to be deployed collectively to raise the =
overall security.'
c
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