Users pressure MS on tests in wake of Sasser

Businesses demand rigorous patch testing and more information. Businesses have called on Microsoft to step up testing on its security patches after the Sasser computer worm left a trail of destruction last week. The worm, which disabled computer systems running Windows 2000, XP and 2003 operating systems, hit thousands of small companies and high-profile targets including the UK Coastguard Service, British Airways and American Express. But companies found their difficulties exacerbated as they rushed to install patches over the bank holiday weekend, when it emerged that the fix contained bugs that caused some systems to crash and interfered with Oracle databases.

David Lacey, global information security director at Royal Mail and founder of the Jericho group of leading IT users, urged Microsoft to step up testing of its MS04-011 patches following the outbreak. "Microsoft is moving in the right direction, but it has to move faster and step up an extra gear," he said.

The call was echoed by Nick Leake, director of infrastructure and operations at ITV, who urged the software supplier to consider testing patches with a closed group of companies before general release.

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