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Hello Windows users,
 Speaking at the 10th annual RSA Conference at The Moscone Center in San Francisco earlier this week, David Thompson, vice president for the Windows® Product Server Group at Microsoft Corp., announced several new security features for the Windows family of products that will be rolled out next year and detailed how Microsoft has delivered on the promises made to customers in last year's RSA Conference keynote. Thompson highlighted the Microsoft® Windows 2000 operating system, an improved security response process, the company's Safe Internet consumer security and privacy Web site, and the SafeNet 2000 security and privacy summit as security milestones for Microsoft over the past year. He also announced that Microsoft would host the 2001 security and privacy summit this fall.
"In an increasingly interconnected world, Microsoft is delivering the products, technologies and services that empower safe, secure and trustworthy computing for customers," Thompson said. "Today's announcements illustrate Microsoft's continuing commitment to keeping our customers' information safe and secure."
The War on Hostile Code
Thompson characterized the upcoming releases of new security features in products across the Windows family -- including Windows XP and the next version of the Windows Server product, code-named "Whistler" -- as part of the company's "declaration of war on hostile code." He noted that over the past year the threat from hostile code, highlighted by an assortment of recent high-profile computer viruses, is of increasing concern to customers. He pointed to current product features such as the Outlook® E-mail Security Update, launched last July, as one example of steps Microsoft is taking to address this problem.
Thompson also announced that the next versions of the Windows operating system, Windows XP and "Whistler Server," would include a new security feature, Software Restriction Policies. This feature, designed to track and stop hostile code like the I LoveYou and Anna Kournikova viruses while allowing administrator-approved mobile code to run, will place restrictions on where and how programs can run on a user's computer.
As we all know, Microsoft's track record in the security of their products has been less then stellar, but it seems that they are finally convinced that improvements are in order! Now lets see if they deliver!
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14 April 2001, Vol 4 No. 15
