Microsoft: Vista won't get a backdoor 3266
Larry Qualig To Erik: MS doens't have to want to do it. Someone else that wants...
On Mon, 6 Mar 2006 13:08:56 -0600, Erik Funkenbusch
Heh... hard to keep up to date like you guys who are in this stuff full time.
Frankly, I don't think that MS would ever knowingly put in a backdoor. If this were to get out, it would completely and irrevocably destroy the company. I felt sort of embarrbutted for him while he was saying that.
I was more concerned about the length of time that this vulnerability existed before being addressed. I makes me wonder how many more there are. Just looking at the constant stream of security patches coming from MS, one can deduce that security in MS products is lessoning as the OS gets more and more complex.
On Mon, 6 Mar 2006 01:06:02 -0800, Jim Richardson I wouldn't call a product that probably only had a few hundred people (at most) working on it comparible to Windows that has had...
Agencies such as the NSA and their counterparts in foreign countries, having almost unlimited funds and expertise, have no doubt, discovered these security flaws and back doors. I'm sure they have them well documented for use in times of "national emergency". These agencies do have the ability to keep things VERY secret. I think the script kiddies do the world a favour by exploiting those they find. In the least, those holes get patched. It probably peees some the NSA guys off because it's one less they can use.
The biggest danger in having a monolithic, closed source supplier of software for the entire world is that the point of entry for surrepbreastiously installing code is made easier. We can all envision "our" side having a covert programmer busy at work compromising "their" software at source. Who's to say it is not being done in reverse?
Even by NSA... look at Bush's stand on domestic spying. THAT scares the hell out of me and I don't even live in that country.
Microsoft: Vista won't get a backdoor 3267
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