Symantec, McAfee still not happy with Microsoft cooperation

Stan Beer
Wednesday, 18 October 2006 20:10

Your IT - Home IT

Despite Microsoft's public statement this week that it would provide security vendors with the information they need to access the Vista kernal and disable Microsoft's default security dashboard, the two biggest vendors are unhappy with what they've received to date.

Acording to a report in the Register, McAfee's worldwide corporate communications president Siobhan MacDermott indicate that Microsoft's public statements about cooperating with security vendors belie its actions.

MacDermott said that McAfee had still not received any information from Microsoft concerning Patchguard, the software that locks up the Vista kernel. In addition, the document containing the SDK that Microsoft sent McAfee for Windows Security Center required clarification from Microsoft, which to date had not been forthcoming.

Symantec had previously questioned Microsoft's commitment to deliver the information security vendors needed in a timely manner.

On the other side of the coin, however, anti-virus vendors such as Kapersky and Sophos have stated publicly that they don't have a problem with the level of cooperation they have received from Microsoft.

In fact a visit to blog oriented sites reveals a diversity of opinion on this subject. While many bloggers take the usual anti-Microsoft line, a surprisingly high number have defended Microsoft's action in locking up its kernel and accuse the two leading security vendors of beating their own drums purely for self interest.