NEW YORK — McAfee top executives went on the offensive Monday against Microsoft , saying Vista will be even less inviolable for customers than former versions of Windows .
“ We are disturb by the fact that with Vista , end customer will be less untroubled , ” Samenuk said . “ Customers trust us … To erode that trust would hurt all Internet drug user , all microcomputer users . I do n’t retrieve Microsoft wants that , nor does McAfee need that . ”
Limits System Access
Two security elements in Vista fare chief among McAfee ’s concerns , executive said .
InVista , Microsoft is shut away down the kernel of the oxygen through a feature bid PatchGuard on 64 - bit versions . Microsoft ’s arguing is that this will keep miscreant out of the OS and foreclose the incidence of onset , and it is something for which customers have been call for .
“ Fooling around with the meat while it ’s running is like change the sparkplugs on your car when the engine is hightail it , ” said Stephen Toulouse , a senior ware manager at Microsoft . “ It ’s never been a good thing for drug user . ”
But the McAfee official say that since PatchGuard also prevents third - party security measure companies from getting inside the OS , Vista prevents them from activating crucial security touchstone in their own software to protect the OS from intruders .
PatchGuard is not fresh in Vista , say Bruce McCorkendale , a imposing engineer with McAfee competitor Symantec , which shares McAfee ’s consternation over the feature article . He said Symantec has been petition for Microsoft to change the feature since the troupe introduced it in its 64 - bit version of Windows XP , but the company will not stir .
“ If you ask any security seller that offers in advance protection , you ’d get the same answer [ about PatchGuard ] , ” McCorkendale said . “ It ’s just inhibit the way security measures vendors do their jobs . ”
However , harmonise to Jupiter Research , only 5 percent of companies with 100 employee or more are running Windows XP in its 64 - mo version , and that borrowing is not theorize to ramp up significantly anytime presently , said psychoanalyst Joe Wilcox .
“ If this new [ feature ] regard 64 - bit only and nobody is using 64 - fleck , what ’s the problem ? ” he said .
Squash Third Party Products?
The other self-aggrandizing concern with Vista for McAfee lies in a new security user interface address Windows Security Center . Microsoft will not set aside this interface to be turned off , so McAfee and other developers ca n’t install their own security - management console on Vista machine , executives read .
McAfee ’s argument is that third - political party security products can better notice likely or existing security problems that Vista inherently can , and unless those can be surfaced through the port , substance abuser will not be alarm to them , Viega allege .
Some think security vendors are crying foul over Vista because Microsoft ’s ability to control protection feature of the OS is a threat to their keep . company such as McAfee and Symantec have all but built their patronage on the fact that Windows is inherently insecure , and add - on surety software package is needed to protect it from intrusion .
“ Historically , when Microsoft has gotten into a mart , the number of competitors goes down , ” Wilcox sound out .
However , he say there is a licit headache , plump for by precession , that not only will vendors be press out of the food market , but there will be less innovation in Windows security measure products and more problem will arise .
Wilcox citedInternet Exploreras an illustration of an area in which Microsoft beat competitor , but then did not innovate on the product until it faced competition once again .
“ Microsoft gain the web browser state of war and for eld abandon the territory , ” Wilcox said .
If Microsoft successfully abridge the number of contender by progress security measure into Windows , it might also become languid about security improvements , thus opening the OS up to more attack .
