[LUGargano] NSA Helps Microsoft with Windows Vista

[Matteo Fasanella]

da CRYPTO-GRAM di Bruce Schneier :


The NSA "helped" Microsoft with Windows Vista.  They're not disclosing
what they did, of course, but Microsoft insiders have told me that it
was nothing more than assisting with assurance testing.

But I am suspicious.

It's called the "equities issue."  Basically, the NSA has two roles:
eavesdrop on their stuff, and protect our stuff.  When both sides use
the same stuff -- Windows Vista, for example -- the agency has to decide
whether to exploit vulnerabilities to eavesdrop on their stuff or close
the same vulnerabilities to protect our stuff.  In its partnership with
Microsoft, it could have decided to go either way: to deliberately
introduce vulnerabilities that it could exploit, or deliberately harden
the OS to protect its own interests.

A few years ago I was ready to believe the NSA recognized we're all
safer with more secure general-purpose computers and networks, but in
the post-9/11 take-the-gloves-off eavesdrop-on-everybody environment, I
simply don't trust the NSA to do the right thing.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801352.html
or http://tinyurl.com/ycgv9f

Another opinion:
http://www.computerworld.com/blogs/node/4330