MSoft goes after the Pentagon use of open source

[Guilherme C Roschke]

> > Microsoft also said open-source software is inherently less secure
> > because the code is available for the world to examine for flaws, making
> > it possible for hackers or criminals to exploit them. Proprietary
> > software, the company argued, is more secure because of its closed
> > nature.
>
> This is an outrageous claim that if uttered by a security
> professional would be a serious ethical breach.  What they
> are advoctating is "security through obscurity", which has
> been shown again and again (particularly w.r.t. M$'s
> products!) to be NO security at all.  I find it hard to
> believe -- no, I take that back, I don't find it hard to
> believe at all...
>
>

"A senior Microsoft Corp. executive told a federal court last week that
sharing information with competitors could damage national security and
even threaten the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan. He later acknowledged
that some Microsoft code was so flawed it could not be
safely disclosed."

....

http://www.eweek.com/article/0,3658,s%253D701%2526a%253D26875,00.asp

so microsoft wants to be in a position where even more of america's
national security will depend on their code not being released.

-gr