Security flaws threaten new OS

Microsoft's future is on the line

SAN FRANCISCO -- Microsoft is facing an early crisis of confidence in the quality of its Windows Vista operating system as computer security researchers and hackers have begun to find potentially serious flaws in the system that was released to corporate customers late last month.

On Dec. 15, a Russian programmer posted a description of a flaw that makes it possible to increase a user's privileges on all of the company's recent operating systems, including Vista.

And over the weekend a Silicon Valley computer security firm said it had notified Microsoft that it had also found that flaw, as well as five other vulnerabilities, including one serious error in the software code underlying the company's new Internet Explorer 7 browser.

The browser flaw is troubling because it means that Web users could become infected with malicious software simply by visiting a booby-trapped site.

That would make it possible for an attacker to inject rogue software into the Vista-based computer, according to executives at Determina, a company based in Redwood City, Calif., that sells software intended to protect against operating system and other vulnerabilities.

Problems with XP

Despite Microsoft assertions about the improved reliability of Vista, many in the industry are taking a wait-and-see approach.

Microsoft's previous operating system, Windows XP, required two "service packs" issued over a number of years to improve security substantially. New flaws are still routinely discovered by outside researchers and have to be repaired by Microsoft with security "patches."

On Friday, a Microsoft executive posted a comment on a company security information Web site saying the company was "closely monitoring" the vulnerability described by the Russian Web site. It permits the privileges of a standard user account in Vista and other versions of Windows to be increased, allowing control of all of the operations of the computer.

"Currently we have not observed any public exploitation or attack activity regarding this issue," wrote Mike Reavey, operations manager of the Microsoft Security Response Center.

"While I know this is a vulnerability that impacts Windows Vista, I still have every confidence that Windows Vista is our most secure platform to date," Reavey wrote.

On Saturday, Nicole Miller, a Microsoft spokeswoman, said the company was also investigating the reported browser flaw and was not aware of any attacks attempting to use the vulnerability.

Counting on Vista

Microsoft has spent millions branding the Vista operating system as the most secure product it has produced, and it is counting on Vista to help turn the tide against a wave of software attacks now plaguing Windows-based computers.

Vista is critical to Microsoft's reputation.

Despite an almost 4 1/2 year campaign on the part of the company, and the best efforts of the computer security industry, the threat from harmful computer software continues to grow.

Criminal attacks now range from programs that steal information from home and corporate PCs to growing armies of slave computers that are wreaking havoc on the commercial Internet.

Out in the open

Although Vista, which will be available on consumer PCs early next year, has been extensively tested, it is only now being exposed to the challenges of the open Internet.

"I don't think people should become complacent," said Nand Mulchandani, a vice president at Determina.

"When vendors say a program has been completely rewritten, it doesn't mean that it's more secure from the get-go. My expectation is we will see a whole rash of Vista bugs show up in six months or a year."