Go ahead and remember this date, it doesn't come around too often

Mar 14, 2007 07:50 GMT  ·  By

Is Windows Vista bulletproof? In fact, is Windows, or Office? Well, in March 2007, Microsoft's answer is positive in this respect. Just go ahead and remember March 13, 2007 because it marks an event that you rarely see out of Microsoft. Zero security updates. Is it a coincidence that the Redmond Company has not released any security updates just one month following Windows Vista's commercial availability? Or is it something more? Something in the line of a marketing strategy.

I do not want to imply foul play, but the MessageBox vulnerability impacting Windows 2000 SP4, Windows Server 2003 SP1, Windows XP SP1, Windows XP SP2 and Windows Vista operating systems, despite the fact of being a low severity flaw, has gone unpatched since December 22, 2006. Still, Microsoft failed to produce any security updates this month.

And although you might think that this is an once in a lifetime event, the fact of the matter is that this is not the case. Neither two years ago, in September 2005, did Microsoft release any security patches. "Since it's the second Tuesday for March, I wanted to go ahead and make a short posting to confirm what we announced last Thursday: we are not releasing any security updates today," explained Christopher Budd with the Microsoft Security Response Center.

The Redmond Company has made an updated Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool available this month via Windows Update, Microsoft Update, Windows Server Update Services, and the Download Center. "We are releasing an update to the Malicious Software Removal Tool today: this month's update removes Win32/Alureon," Budd added. The Redmond Company has additionally launched new signatures for the anti-spam filters in Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007.