The random chatter of several hundred Microsoft engineers filled the cavernous executive briefing center recently at the company's sprawling campus outside Seattle.
Within minutes after their meeting was convened, however, the hall became hushed. Hackers had successfully lured a Windows laptop onto a malicious wireless network.
Microsoft on Tuesday rolled out 10 security bulletins that covered 12 vulnerabilities, and for the first time, offered up its monthly patch batch using the revamped update services and tools for both individuals and enterprises.
Three of the 12 vulnerabilities were marked as "Critical," Microsoft's most urgent alert level in its four-step warning system. All three affect OS components or flaws in Internet Explorer that have been patched multiple times in the past.
Daniel Robbins, the founder of Linux distributor Gentoo, is packing his bags and heading to Redmond, where he'll work for Microsoft.
Robbins, who was also Gentoo's chief architect, will help "Microsoft to understand Open Source and community-based projects," according to a statement of the Gentoo site.
The next version of Microsoft's much criticized Internet Explorer browser is being built to resist hijacking attempts by spyware and other malicious software, according to a Microsoft developer.
Reports from TechEd, Microsoft's geek fest say that much of what's going on is around security. Apprently managfing security is a long and painstaking process but one that leads to better quality. Makes you feel so much better doesn't it?
Microsoft delivered in January to PC makers a version of XP minus its Media Player (and 186 other media-related files), as ordered by the European Commission as part of its antitrust remedy. On Wednesday, Microsoft announced it would release on June 15 a revamped version of the product, which has been officially christened Microsoft Windows XP 'N,' to PC makers. No word on what has changed between the two code drops (other than the name). Our guess? Some of those missing media files have been restored.
Microsoft press briefing: The most important announcement at the event was the demonstration of the Xbox 360, planned for release this holiday season. Company management stated that the Xbox 360 would be backward compatible for most top selling Xbox games, and pledged support for the current generation Xbox well into 2006. Two weeks ago, we noted our
After several delays, Microsoft has delivered an overhaul of its corporate patching tool and the promised successor to its Windows Update service.
In addition, the company set a date of mid-July for delivery of an add-on to Systems Management Server 2003 that lets large organizations inventory and install Microsoft updates. At that time, small and midsize businesses will get Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer 2.0, which is a tool to check their systems to see if they are up to date on their Microsoft fixes.
Someone once asked Pable Picasso which one of his many paintings was his favorite. His reply: the next one. Ask Steve Ballmer which version of Windows is the most secure and guess what his answer will be?
Microsoft on Monday publicly disclosed plans to take on the hugely popular BlackBerry PDA from Research In Motion.
Later this year, the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant plans to offer software to "allow the kind of direct mobile messaging you all want," CEO Steve Ballmer told several thousand IT professionals and partners at the company's Tech Ed 2005 conference in Orlando.
