FC: Microsoft fesses up to huge security breach in Windows XP

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

[Translation of MS spokesman's comment, courtsey of Jon Lasser: "When
we say Windows XP is the most secure system ever we're not saying
you should trust it with your data." --Declan]

---

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10033-2001Dec20.html
   
   By Ariana Eunjung Cha
   Washington Post Staff Writer
   Friday, December 21, 2001; Page E01
   
   When reports of viruses, hackers and software flaws seem to show up in
   e-mail boxes several times a day, they become almost mundane. But the
   latest one was a doozy.
   
   Microsoft Corp. said its new Windows XP operating system, which it had
   touted as a "secure and private" computing experience, has an
   unprecedented flaw.
   
   In a security bulletin issued to customers yesterday, Microsoft said
   the "serious vulnerability" could allow hackers to commandeer all the
   computers in a neighborhood or company in a single attack. The Redmond,
   Wash., company urged customers to update their systems with a patch
   available on its Web site.
   
   The acknowledgment could be a blow to the ambitions of Microsoft, which
   hoped that $500 million worth of flashy advertisements promoting
   Windows XP would result in billions of dollars worth of sales that
   would revitalize the high-tech sector.

   [...]

   Microsoft spokesman Tom Laemmel said the flaw "slipped through" the
   company's testing process but that XP's security still is superior to
   that of previous Windows versions.
   
   "When we say Windows XP is the most secure system ever we're not saying
   it's perfect," he said.

   [...]



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