Following the release of what Microsoft has always considered the most secure version of the Windows client to date, and with the threat environment suffering a consistent shift to third-party applications designed to run on top of the platform, the Redmond company emphasized the need for developers to secure their code.

However, the software giant is willing to support them, when it comes down to securing the code of applications running on top of Windows Vista. The latest initiative, in this regard, is offering the “Writing Secure Code for Windows Vista” book, authored by Microsoft security gurus Michael Howard and David LeBlanc as a free download.

“For 25 years, Microsoft Press books have focused on helping you take your skills and knowledge to the next level. Celebrate our 25th Anniversary with a 'Free E-Book of the Month' offer! Simply sign up for the Microsoft Press Book Connection Newsletter for notification of offers, register, and download the selection of the month” Michael Howard, a senior security program manager in the Security Engineering group at Microsoft, stated.

Obviously, the book is designed to help developers improve the quality of their code in the context of Windows Vista. According to the description, a good understanding of the fundamentals of Windows programming and application programming interfaces will aid them to better grasp the content.

“Code-quality - and security is a subset of quality - is critically important in the field of software. In fact, nothing is more important that code quality, with the possible exception of good design. In Windows Vista, we spent a great deal of time reduction the chance that developers will inject new security bugs into the operating system, as well as finding bugs and removing them from the codebase,” an excerpt from the book written by Howard and David LeBlanc, a senior software development engineer at Microsoft, reads.