Windows is insecure because Uncle Sam likes it that way

Gullible Jones · Jun 14, 2013

Source.

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), the world’s largest software company, provides intelligence agencies with information about bugs in its popular software before it publicly releases a fix, according to two people familiar with the process. That information can be used to protect government computers and to access the computers of terrorists or military foes.

Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft (MSFT) and other software or Internet security companies have been aware that this type of early alert allowed the U.S. to exploit vulnerabilities in software sold to foreign governments, according to two U.S. officials. Microsoft doesn’t ask and can’t be told how the government uses such tip-offs, said the officials, who asked not to be identified because the matter is confidential.

Frank Shaw, a spokesman for Microsoft, said those releases occur in cooperation with multiple agencies and are designed to give government “an early start” on risk assessment and mitigation.

In an e-mailed statement, Shaw said there are “several programs” through which such information is passed to the government, and named two which are public, run by Microsoft and for defensive purposes.
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I feel so much safer now!

P.S. Don't assume Linux is a safe haven. FOSS developers can be bribed and blackmailed just like anyone else.

Hungry Man · Jun 15, 2013

http://www.microsoft.com/security/msrc/collaboration/mapp.aspx

They also send this information to security companies, etc, before they make it publicly known. Linux does similar stuff, they always alert distros of security updates, sometimes before the release - though I don't know that they tell any government entities.

Anyways, this gives certain people a chance to patch. Ideally they only give them enough time to patch, not create their own exploits.

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