Microsoft Security Consistency Involves Prohibition and Discouragement. Yeah, about That Security Thing?
June 22, 2019
I read “No Slack for You! Microsoft Puts Rival App on Internal List of Prohibited and Discouraged software” and had to laugh. Adobe Flash and Microsoft Windows have something in common. These are two of the “systems” which have been the super highway to exploits, hacking, and mischief for years. I am not sure the Mac is more secure; it is less popular. With forced installations, Microsoft’s software has emerged as a go to way for many bad actors to compromise systems. Yep, Word macros, Shadow Brokers’ code dumps, and freebie exploits explained by security researchers — quite a few pivot on Microsoft technology.
The write up explains that Microsoft has identified software which poses security leaks for the one time monopolist and all time champ of questionable browser technology:
- Amazon AWS. Yep, Amazon is a threat. A security threat? Only if those using the service fail to follow the recommended procedures. Plus Amazon is gobbling Microsoft’s mindshare by making it possible to run Microsoft on AWS. There you go.
- Grammarly. Don’t you love it when Word gets grammar incorrectly? Grammarly does some grammar moster correct. How do you solve the problem? Hey, just ban the Grammarly thing. Word’s method is Microsoftianish-like.
- Slack. Use Skype and be happy. Use Outlook and be happier. Use Zoom. Nope, strike that. And didn’t Microsoft try to buy Slack in 2016?
But “git” this: Microsoft owns another banned service GitHub. Now banning something you have owned since late 2018 is straight out of bizarro world.
Why not invest to “fix” GitHub? Why not make your own code less vulnerable to bad actors? Why not? Why not?
One of the TV shows has used the catchphrase, “Come on, man” to call attention to what I would call ill advised on field actions.
It is applicable to Microsoft’s new found concern for security.
Come on, man.
Stephen E Arnold, June 22, 2019
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