Microsoft has applauded Windows Vista for its superior level of security compared to Windows XP since the operating system hit the shelves back in January 2007. But at the same time, the Redmond company has constantly provided statistics designed to back its claims, the latest of which come from the sixth volume of its
Microsoft Security Intelligence Report (SIRv6). Specifically, by analyzing data collected by the Malicious Software Removal Tool, the software giant has concluded that: “The infection rate for Windows Vista is significantly lower than that of its predecessor, Windows XP, in all configurations.”
Yes, it is another way of saying that Windows Vista is more secure than Windows XP. Essentially, Microsoft indicated that MSRT had detected a 60.6% smaller infection rate for
Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 compared to
Windows XP SP3 in the second half of 2008. You can also have a look at the graphic included with this article, courtesy of the software giant, in order to “get the picture” of just how the volume of Vista infections compares with that of XP's.
“Comparing the n-1 service packs for each version, the infection rate of the release to manufacturing (RTM) version of Windows Vista is 71.5 percent less than that of Windows XP SP2,” Microsoft added in the report. “Comparing the RTM versions of these operating systems, the infection rate of the RTM version of Windows Vista is 89.1 percent less than that of the RTM version of Windows XP. Similarly, the infection rate of Windows Server 2008 RTM is 51.9 percent less than that of its predecessor, Windows Server 2003 SP2.”
Microsoft's findings reveal that, as end users make sure to upgrade to the latest Windows release available and to deploy the most recent service pack, the more secure they are, as the rate of infections is considerably smaller.
The Redmond company explained that the situation was catalyzed because “service packs include fixes for all security vulnerabilities fixed in security updates at the time of issue. They can also include additional security features, mitigations, or changes to default settings to protect users. Users who install service packs may generally maintain their computers better than users who do not install service packs and therefore may also be more cautious in the way they browse the Internet, open attachments, and engage in other activities that can open computers to attack.”
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) for both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the operating system is available for download
here.
Windows XP Service Pack 3 can be downloaded via this
link.
