An Almost Patch-Free Patch Tuesday
Last week, a computer luminary (let's call him Mark Shavlik) asked me over a
lunch of chowder and butterfish (we live well here at
Redmond magazine)
what was going on with security. I dabbed the cream and clam juice from my beard,
which gave me time to think (I was stalling).
I know security is the biggest issue but, like with the 9/11 attackers, we
just aren't afraid anymore. On the Microsoft side, the older products are becoming
legacy and have been patched so many times they look like a Three Stooges car
tire. The newer products, so far as I can see, are more secure out of the box.
This is all a good thing. Hackers are like violent political/religious extremists:
They do it for the power and publicity -- kinda like Paris Hilton! Let's not
be afraid of any of them. When a virus circulates, block it, delete it and go
on with your life. When extremists release a video tape, how about we keep it
off the 7 o'clock news -- they aren't important enough. And let's never ever
again call them "terrorists," as this gives them power they don't
deserve. And the next time Paris crashes her car into a West Hollywood sushi
bar in a mini-dress, let's use those cameras for real news, shall we?
I've clearly lost my train of thought here, so let's get back to the patch
news. Tomorrow, Redmond will set
forth a mere two patches, one for XP and the other for Windows Server spoofing
attacks. You might even get away with sleeping late this Tuesday.
Is security less or more of a problem today? Let us know by writing me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on November 12, 2007