If there’s anything Windows XP is known for it’s doubtful security, if there’s anything Microsoft wants to make Windows Vista famous for it’s excellent security functions. Security software developer Symantec now claims the opposite, that Windows Vista may be a less secure system than Windows XP. Symantec has namely done a survey of Vista’s network code and found loads of bugs and security holes, most having been fixed with newer versions. Symantech points out that Microsoft’s choice of rewriting the network code in Vista from scratch means that many new bugs and security holes will appear, which in the short run will make Vista a less secure platform.
The fact that Windows Vista has not yet been launched is also a part of the calculations and Symantec claims that most of the problems found at this early stage will be fixed until the launch. But at the same time there’s always a certain period of time before a new operating system can be considered secure, no matter how much beta-testing you’ve done. Microsoft’s reply to Symantec’s survey was quite clear and not especially worrying;
“Given that Windows Vista is still in the beta stage of the development and not yet final, the claims made in this report are, at best, premature,” Microsoft said. “And given the extensive work we are doing to make Windows Vista the most secure version of Windows yet, we believe the claims are also unsubstantiated.”
