Frustratedoversecurity

Blessed are the Geeks, for they shall internet the earth

Frustration Over Microsofts Security Problems Grow Douglas Chick

Many I.T. people are simply fed-up with the constant stream of never ending security problems using Microsoft's Windows products, adding myself to an ever-growing list of frustrated computer professionals. Upon returning from a ten-day vacation, and a single security patch behind, seven out of eleven servers attached to a remote DSL network were taken over by intruders. Granted I should have had a firewall in front of these computers, but because of their functionality, I didn't justify the expense. But still, am I to blame or should Microsoft be held accountable? 

One California woman believes Microsoft should be held to blame, as she has filed a lawsuit using the new California privacy law. Marcy Levitas Hamilton alleges that because of Windows security vulnerabilities that were exploited by last summer's SoBig worm, thieves were able to steal her Social Security number and bank details. She is seeking to represent all Windows users in her suit. If she is successful she will achieve what many have failed to do and that is hold Microsoft legally liable for damages linked to flaws with the programming code, even though the company's customers give up this right under the terms and conditions of Microsoft's end-user license agreements. 

Joe Ritchey, a network administrator in Orlando Florida disagrees. He believes that Microsoft is the victim of its own popularity and any operating system with the majority market share would suffer the same fate. When I asked him,

Doesnt it bother you that sometimes you are kept at work late fixing many of the problems created by Microsoft security flaws? Joe's reply was,     No, not at all. Its what keeps us in business. Repairing these problems is one aspect of the job that cant be outsourced to another country.

It seems to many people that Microsoft is taking too long to fix the over-all problem and rely too much on security patches that are over lapping a sinking ship.  In early 2002 Microsoft declared that it was halting software development for a month so that its developer teams could focus on one issue--security. Two years later, security seems even worse with no visible improvement from Microsoft.

Wilbur Pan, a pediatric oncologist at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey in New Brunswick, was quoted in PcWorld Magazine as saying:

"We got hit hard by the rash of viruses that came along back in August--both in the medical school system and in the university hospital system," Pan says. Ultimately, he switched his personal work system over to Linux. "The lack of accountability is one reason I switched away from using Microsoft products."

Even with people like myself loyal to Microsoft, the constant stream of security bulletins, and buffer overflows makes me question whether I have made the right decision for my company using Microsoft operating systems.

Let me hear from you. Should the security flaws in Windows be viewed as taking the good with the bad, or should Microsoft have some accountability for their own product?