Unlike with previously revealed vulnerabilities, computers can be infected simply by visiting one of the Web sites or viewing an infected image in an e-mail through the preview pane in older versions of Microsoft Outlook, even if users did not click on anything or open any files. Operating system versions ranging from the current Windows XP to Windows 98 are affected.
We used to tell people, when I worked at ISPs, that it wasn’t possible. Now it is possible. Just but looking at a website, just by reading an e-mail. No need to even activate an application now. Well, congratulations to Microsoft for their successful innovation!
I once observed in a letter to the editor, I think, of the Computer User magazine, that there was a great significance to the spread of VBA and Macro viruses. What Microsoft had managed to do was create a cross-platform virus, which was more and more likely to be a problem as higher level program environments became available, ones which were not platform dependent. So, here’s another way that Microsoft has innovated in the market place. They are just following their own tradition of innovation in vulnerability.
After all, security is “an opportunity for third party developers.”