Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Blogs
    • Security Watch

    Microsoft to Disclose Third Party Vulnerabilities

    By
    Fahmida Y. Rashid
    -
    April 20, 2011
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Microsoft will begin disclosing vulnerabilities it finds in third-party Windows software in addition to its own products. It started off with two bugs in Google’s Chrome Web browser.

      In a nine-page document titled “Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure at Microsoft,” the company outlined how Microsoft developers will reveal security flaws in its own and other companies’ software, how the vendors will be informed, and when it will publicize the information. Microsoft claimed it will publicize the information after the vendor has patched it or if the vendor failed to respond, with one caveat.

      If attacks are underway in the wild and the vendor is still working on the update, then Microsoft will work with that vendor “as closely as possible” to provide an early public vulnerability disclosure in a responsible manner to protect customers, Katie Moussouris, a senior security strategist at Microsoft, told eWEEK.

      Microsoft issued two vulnerability research advisories on April 19 to accompany the updated CVD policy. One covered a buffer overflow in Google Chrome which allowed arbitrary code to run in the Web browser’s sandbox (MSVR11-001), and the other allowed an attacker to use a specific local IP address to exploit an HTML 5 implementation flaw (MSVR11-002) in both Google Chrome and Opera.

      Microsoft has long supported coordinated disclosure instead of full disclosure, and has privately supplied bug reports to third-party vendors since August 2008, Moussouris said. Releasing these advisories would help “bolster” the security of the Windows ecosystem, according to Moussouris.

      “At the end of the day, Microsoft’s customers are at risk for exploitation from non-Microsoft products,” Jason Miller, data team manager at Shavlik Technologies, told eWEEK. With MSVR, customers can educated themselves on the latest threats in a centralized location, regardless of whether they exist in Microsoft products or other third-party Windows products, Miller said.

      Back in June 2010, Tavis Ormandy, a Google engineer in Switzerland, published the details of a security flaw in Windows and a proof-of-concept code on the Full Disclosure mailing list. Ormandy publicized the flaw a mere four days after notifying Microsoft. Many security researchers believe in “full disclosure,” or publicizing the details of a vulnerability so that everyone is informed and to force vendors to repair the flaw quickly.

      Microsoft and other vendors argue that full disclosure makes it easier for attackers to target customers.

      “Public disclosure of the details of this vulnerability and how to exploit it, without giving us time to resolve the issue for our potentially affected customers, makes broad attacks more likely and puts customers at risk,” Mike Reavey, director of the Microsoft Security Response Center, wrote on the division’s blog on June 10.

      “We have seen in the past where vendors, Microsoft and non-Microsoft, and researchers are not on the same page when it comes to releasing information regarding vulnerabilities,” Miller said.

      Fahmida Y. Rashid

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×