Google phasing out use of Microsoft's Windows over security concerns

[Poiuyt]

LONDON (Reuters) - Web search group Google Inc is phasing out internal use of rival Microsoft Corp's Windows operating system because of security concerns following a Chinese hacking incident, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

Citing several Google employees, the FT said the decision to move to other operating systems including Apple Inc's Mac OS and open-source Linux began in earnest in January after Google's Chinese operations were hacked.

more-

http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0601/google-phasing-windows-security-concerns/

[meegbear]

1. In the same article ...

Google, which already offers e-mail, Web and other software products that compete with Microsoft's offerings, is developing its own operating system based on its Chrome browser. It will initially target netbooks, or inexpensive, pared-down notebook PCs.

I think another reason for this move is to challenge MS at all levels.

[no limit]

2. I highly doubt the security flaw they exploited was due to Windows OS

[L0oniX]

3. LOL

[no limit]

4. The uninformed always jump on the bandwagon and laugh about how bad windowz is

then there are those that actually look at the facts.

[L0oniX]

5. ...and then there are those who were into computers before you were born.

[no limit]

8. Well that's your problem. Technology has changed a great bit since the 1970s

try to keep up.

But by all means, if you know the security flaw they used to hack in please do inform us of what that flaw was.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[charlie]

10. An Internet Explorer exploit n/t

[no limit]

13. So you will replace all your operating systems because of an internet browser security flaw?

Why not change the browser? Or better yet simply apply a browser patch?

[charlie]

16. You think Explorer is just a browser?

It's the rendering engine underneath MS email products, help system, file browsing, system dialogs, and who knows what else. You don't get rid of Explorer just by switching browsers.

In any case, Google obviously thinks it can manage security better by itself, with access to the code in an open source OS. Why does that put a bug up your ass?

[no limit]

20. You seem to be confusing explorer.exe and iexplorer.exe

Yes, iexplorer.exe is used as the rendering engine for emails if you use an older MS email client. It can also be used to render help files if the application is set up that way. But it is not used for file browsing or for system dialogs.

So yes, you can switch internet explorer fairly easily.

Google wanting to do this themselves doesn't put a bug up my ass. What puts a bug up my ass is people (including google) blaming windows for a flaw that windows probably had nothing to do with. This is a marketing gimmick by google to make their competition look bad, and many people as you can see are happy to jump on that bandwagon with no facts to back any of google's claims.

[charlie]

31. No, I'm not confusing them

IE requires explorer.exe. That's what MS demonstrated years ago when they insisted IE was inextricable from Windows. And that's what I was talking about when I said the same rendering engine is used throughout Windows.

And again, what's the problem with Google switching, and citing MS vulnerabilities as the reason? Needling MS is a bonus, but if it's true they think they can do better, then it's true.

[no limit]

32. But explorer.exe is totally seperate from iexplorer.exe

iexplorer.exe might need explorer.exe to run, just as every other GUI application ever written for windows, but not the other way around.

I have no problem with Google switching to anything they want. But they are lying here. The security issue was because they were using internet exporer 6 which is almost 10 years old and was considered obsolete long ago. Google screwed up by not updating their browsers on these computers, and now they are trying to blame microsoft for their screw up while putting out a competing product later on this year.

[Statistical]

33. The flaw only existed in IE6 and was reported by Microsoft over a year ago.

Had Google updated to latest version of IE they would have been immune.

Instead they used an old obsolete browser nearly a year after Microsoft issue release strongly encouraging all users especially those on mission critical platforms to upgrade to IE 7.0.

Google decided to keep using a 9 year old browser and got hacked. Imagine that when they drop Microsoft are they going to install some 9 year old altnernate browser? No they will update to latest version of firefox?, chrome?, safari?. Which is exactly what Microsoft had encouraged them to do (and they ignored) regarding IE.

[Lance_Boyle]

17. Maybe use an OS built by someone who doesn't insist the browser is PART OF the OS?

No IE, no Windows Updates, AFAIK.

Windows has gotten much better, but seriously - why would Google want to run anything on a frikkin' server that includes a frikkin' graphical web browser? That's a bush league server OS, to be sure.

[no limit]

18. Since Windows server 2008 you can now run the server without the UI

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

19. I think the OP was about workstations. -nt

[no limit]

21. The OP was, the person I was responding to was talking about servers

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

22. So you agree that business decision by Google was sensible? -nt

[no limit]

23. Google can do as it wishes, I dont like the fact they slander their competition with misleading info

and how people jump on the bandwagon without any facts.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

27. So the Chinese hacking didn't happen?

It was all an Evil Open Source ruse to smear poor oppressed most-secure-and-bestest-and-doesn't-make-Baby-Jesus-cry-OS of all Creation, the Glory that is Windows?

All right then. :eyes:

[no limit]

28. Do you know anything about the attack or are you just blowing smoke out your ass?

I looked it up, they hacked in by exploiting internet explorer 6. IE6 stopped being supported long ago. Google fucked up by not patching their systems to a later version of internet explorer. And now they are trying to blame microsoft for their screw up.

But by all means, don't let the simple facts get in your way.

[Statistical]

34. No the hacking happened on a 9 year old browser.

One Microsoft strongly encourage users to switch from nearly 3 years ago.

Is google going to install Firefox 1.0 or will they install latest version of whatever browser they chose.

Reality is Google could have avoided the entire issue if they had stopped using IE6.0 years ago (as recomended by Microsoft and security experts).

IE 6.0 is no longer supported by Microsoft (just like Firefox 1.0 isn't by Mozilla) meaning they are especially vulnerable to attack.

[Lance_Boyle]

25. Server core? That JOKE of an OS?

WTF was MS thinking when they decided that their GUI-free version of Windows Server needed - get this - a GUI? Server core is a command prompt layered over a featureless Windows GUI. But the GUI is still very much there. Don't believe me? Fire up taskmgr from the "server core" command prompt. It is the most pathetic shit-asstic excuse for a server OS I've seen.

[no limit]

26. Does it include internet explorer? No? my point stands.

I never liked that implementation as the GUI has very little overhead these days. But it's there to use for anyone worried about having a browser installed on their server. What features does it not have that you need?

[no limit]

24. Just read up on this, it was an internet explorer 6 exploit. If google is still using IE6...

Then they are the ones that fucked up big time, not microsoft.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

11. Do YOU know? -nt

[no limit]

14. Nope, I'm simply saying people blaming M$ don't either

and I'm assuming it wasn't a flaw with the OS itself. The browser? Maybe. But not the OS.

[Captain Hilts]

7. Yes. I had NO problems until I tried Chrome. nt

[Captain Hilts]

6. Google chrome has more security issues than Microsoft. nt

[L0oniX]

12. My wifes Winsux XP machine has over 90 security updates.

[no limit]

15. That boils down to 9 patches a year since XP was released. That's actually a very impressive record

again, how many patches does your mac or linux computer have? Or do you not patch those?

[area51]

29. For the morning crowd

What Microsoft is good for:

[no limit]

30. What operating system did you write that message with?