Re: Air Force seeks better security from Microsoft

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

Forwarded from: Jei <jei () cc hut fi>

Sounds to me like we need a law that empowers the consumers to demand
their money back if the products prove to be faulty.

But didn't the US lawmakers just make a law that empowers the software
makers to enforce whatever licences they like?

=> 

Software quality will not only get worse, but it will be impossible to
publicly state that it sucks. Publishing security holes will also
likely be equal to legal suicide.

The only thing we'll get is a public mirage of better security and
functionality, while in reality things will actually be a lot worse.

Oh well.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 12 Mar 2002 00:38:49 -0600 (CST)
From: InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>
To: isn () attrition org
Subject: [ISN] Air Force seeks better security from Microsoft 

Forwarded from: William Knowles <wk () c4i org>

http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2002/03/11/gilligan.htm

03/10/2002 - Updated 11:19 PM ET  
By Byron Acohido, USA TODAY
 
SEATTLE - A top U.S. Air Force official has warned Microsoft to
dramatically improve the security of its software or risk losing the
Air Force as a customer. In an interview, Air Force chief information
officer John Gilligan revealed he has met with senior Microsoft
executives to tell them the Air Force is "raising the bar on our level
of expectation" for secure software.

Since being named Air Force CIO in November, Gilligan, who controls a
$6 billion-a-year technology budget, also has met with executives from
Cisco Systems and delivered a similar message at a handful of industry
forums. "We just can't afford the exposures, and so those who give us
better solutions, that's where we're going to put our business,"  
Gilligan says.

Gilligan, former Energy Department CIO, has discussed security most
often with executives at Microsoft. "They are the biggest supplier to
the Air Force, and my attempt has been to encourage them to set an
example," he says.

[...]



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