Microsoft critical vulnerability boom persists

Vulnerability marketplace sparks hike in critical Microsoft flaws.

Microsoft patched 133 'critical' or 'important' vulnerabilities in 2006, more than doubling the number from 2005, according to data collected by security vendor McAfee.

Both Microsoft and McAfee pointed to a variety of factors as the cause for the rise in vulnerabilities, but none of those suggested that there is anything wrong with the quality of Microsoft's code. Dave Marcus, security research and communications manager at McAfee, told vnunet.com that Microsoft's software was not necessarily at fault, but that the overall success of the company's products made Microsoft a popular target for an ever-expanding market for exploits and malware.