14 DAY TRIAL // I have been hearing a lot of static lately regarding Windows Vista security. And I wanted to address the issue of how has Microsoft managed to produce yet another most secure Windows platform, just as Apple keeps advancing the world's most advanced operating system. Well, one aspect that indeed guarantees that Windows Vista is an apex of Windows security is the fact that the operating system is a product of the Security Development Lifecycle.
From start to finish, as Microsoft has put it, Vista has evolved through SDL. No other operating system from the Redmond Company shares this development strategy. And in the end this will reflect in the overall quality of the Windows Vista code and how it will pass the test of time. With Vista, Microsoft's main goal as far as security is concerned is to cut down the volume of vulnerabilities. Michael Howard, a security expert working for Microsoft, recently predicted that the number of critical vulnerabilities in Vista will be reduced by 30% to 50% in the next couple of years.
"Why am I making these claims? I know the SDL works, and we will continue to evolve SDL over time as we learn of new vulnerability types and new defenses, but Windows Vista is the first Windows to go through SDL from start to finish. We know that when you focus on something intensely, you can make a big difference," Howard stated.
When you think about the Security Development Lifecycle you have to think in terms of a methodology designed not only to reduce the number of code flaws but also to tone down their overall severity. And the best thing about this strategy is that Microsoft would continue to adapt and develop both the Windows platform and the SDL.