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The NT Files
SECURITY FLAWS
How
secure is Windows NT?
Computer security specialist Ed Curry says that Microsoft
pressured him to falsify testing results relating to Windows
NT's qualifications for the Defense Department's coveted C2
security certification. In an open letter to Secretary of
Defense William Cohen, Curry writes, "Microsoft has
knowingly and willfully concealed information regarding
security flaws in computer hardware from the NSA out of fear
that revealing such flaws would reduce the number of copies
of its products that would be purchased by the government...
I have raised this issue internally with Microsoft, and in
return have been the subject of both bribes and threats."
(Sm@Rt Reseller, 23 Sept 1998)
Big
security holes in Windows NT
Windows NT servers on the Internet are dangerously insecure,
allowing password sniffing and eavesdropping, says
Counterpane Systems Inc., a computer security consulting
firm. Microsoft confirmed the flaws, and promised to fix
them as soon as possible, but according to a Counterpane
spokesman, "Last time they released a fix, it broke so many
other parts of Windows NT, Microsoft had to pull it off the
Web site three weeks later." (Macweek, 2 June
1998)
Hackers
attack NASA, Navy
A wide range of NASA, U.S. Navy and university campuses
throughout the nation were the simultanious victims of
"denial of service" attacks on computers running Microsoft
Windows NT and Windows 95. The targeted computers, which
were attacked via the Internet, crashed, displaying the
"blue screen of death" and "fatal error" messages. (CNET, 4
March 1998)
Microsoft
hit with NT registry security
flaw
A design flaw in the Windows NT registry system confers
special access privileges in the "Everyone" setting,
allowing unauthorized access to startup executables.
(InfoWorld Electric, 14 Oct
1997)
Microsoft
plugs new hole in Windows
Windows 3.1, 95 and NT's inability to properly handle TCP/IP
errors results in a security breach and system crashes. The
vulnerability can be readily exploited with a common Unix
application. (ZDNet, 13 May 1997)
Published: 21 July 1998; Last revised: 27
September 1998
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We had 12.9 gigabytes of [Microsoft] PowerPoint slides on our network. And I thought, "What a huge waste of corporate productivity." So we banned it. And we've had three unbelievable record-breaking fiscal quarters since we banned PowerPoint. Now, I would argue that every company in the world, if they would just ban PowerPoint, would see their earnings skyrocket. Employees would stand around going, "What do I do? Guess I've got to go to work."
SCOTT McNEALY, CEO, Sun Microsystems
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