Although the software titan has been touting the need for security through its Secure Windows Initiative, the recent revelation of a severe flaw in the company's flagship Windows XP (news - web sites) operating system--combined with the discoveries of several recent Internet Explorer browser holes--has left security experts questioning whether Microsoft can fully lock down its products.
"It's not about security mechanisms and initiatives, but in the end how secure the code is," said Marc Maiffret, chief hacking officer with eEye Digital Security, the Aliso Viejo, Calif., company that found the hole in Windows XP. If left unchecked, that hole could let hackers take over a computer user's PC remotely. Microsoft itself deemed the flaw "critical" for desktop PC users.
|