Today's News

10/21/05

Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware into Vista: Microsoft has confirmed plans to bundle anti-spyware protection into Windows Vista, a move that is sure to raise eyebrows among competitors and possibly antitrust regulators.

The Windows AntiSpyware product, which currently ships to consumers as a free standalone application, will be integrated into Vista, as is indicated in the newest beta build of Vista distributed to technical beta testers on Monday.

"The core Windows AntiSpyware functionality gets built in," said Greg Sullivan, lead Windows product manager. "For unmanaged environments—home and small business users—we want to provide base-level security services."

The actual anti-spyware code was not included in the second CTP (Community Technology Preview) release of Vista (Build 5213), but visual evidence was found in the "Security Center," a built-in feature that lets users manage settings for security patching, Internet options and the embedded firewall.

Microsoft is careful to note that many of the features included in the latest Vista preview are still being developed and "do not yet represent their final functionality or design."

"Some of the features in the October CTP that will undergo significant changes before the final version of Windows Vista ships," the company said, noting that the anti-spyware functionality "will continue to evolve throughout the development process."

The decision is seen as a bold gamble by the software giant, coming at a time when its emergence as a security vendor has already raised questions about software bundling and unfair competition.

Rival Symantec Corp. has nudged antitrust regulators at the European Union with an informal complaint about Microsoft's security ambitions, and it's not a stretch to imagine that competitors in the lucrative anti-spyware business will also raise a fuss.

Source: eWEEK