4 ms·
Yes, collaborated. Microsoft provides the NSA with holes in its OS (and presumably other SW) long before it provides us with patches.
by nate_meurer 13y ago
Yes, collaborated. Microsoft provides the NSA with holes in its OS (and presumably other SW) long before it provides us with patches.
- CWuestefeld 13y agoThis is a recurring talking point, but it's not entirely accurate. Microsoft provides early information about known weaknesses, even before fixes are available, to MANY large customers, one of whom is the US government. This is done so that those customers can mitigate the risks ASAP, before the zero-day hackers can leverage the weakness. So while your statement is correct, it implies a relationship that doesn't actually exist.
- nate_meurer 13y agoAre you saying that Microsoft provides no information to the NSA that it doesn't also provide to its other customers? If so, I'd love to see your source. In response to the Bloomberg story that first described this situation, Microsoft's spokesman made no attempt to deny the specific accusation that the U.S. government has special access to MS exploits.