MS security flaws slammed
Monday, 16 February 2004 18:13 EST
Apple and Linux stand to gain as Microsoft faces mighty challenges this week, with critics warning that its dominance of the operating systems market has created a software 'monoculture' that threatens global data security. Microsoft released a software update last week – almost eight months after critical flaws in its OS were identified; it then saw secret source code for Windows NT and 2000 posted on the Internet in a leak the FBI has been called in to investigate.
Regarding the software patch, Microsoft gave the OS flaw a "critical" severity rating – but was first notified of the problem last July. A Microsoft official said it took so long to produce the patch because of the need to "look at the broadest possible implications" of the flaw.
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