July 15th, 2004
ZDNetUK's Goodwins: "SP2's just a bump in the road for malware"
In his scathing review of Microsoft’s efforts to clamp down on security, ZDNet UK’s Rupert Goodwins asserts that, given how it targets the surreptitious theft of sensitive data, spyware is a problem that looms large, but that Microsoft’s forthcoming Windows XP Service Pack 2 does little or nothing to stop. When it comes to software, Goodwins demands "registering with the system must be non-optional before execution rights are granted and what the software can then do has to be properly monitored and restricted."
Now that SP2 has been dealyed until August, it’s clear that this is no ordinary patch or service pack. It’s a stake in the ground. With more big wins for Linux whose desktops have so far escaped harm, Microsoft must realize that if SP2 doesn’t significantly change the security equation for its customers, its customers could start contemplating alternatives. While interviewing attendees at Macworld Boston, one attendee made a good point saying that Macs may have cost him more to buy, but the total cost of owning them has represented a savings over the Windows systems in which he’s had to invest more total time and money. Meanwhile, Apple has done almost little or nothing to capitalize on its security advantage with enterprises.
