Focus On: Microsoft

Proponents of Windows Small Business Server sell it as Microsoft's cheap answer to Linux and other free open source operating systems. The customer gets a Swiss Army knife of Windows software, as long as it's all loaded on a single server. That's where the problem starts. Every loaded program brings its own vulnerabilities which, in the aggregrate, can bring down the whole computer. On the other hand, Linux suffers from fewer critical vulnerabilities, and none of the restrictions. UPDATE: Vladfire rains down on Email Battles!

To hear some banks and other financial outfits tell it, digital certificates are the answer for all your email security worries. But at the 15th European Institute for Computer Anti-Virus Research Conference, one researcher discussed how digital signatures could be perverted on virtually any operating system, including BSD, Linux, OSX and Windows. Conclusion: A digital signature is only as valid as the combined security of the sending and receiving computers allow.

The Microsoft ISA Server Team says the firewall lets IPv6 traffic pass through the system regardless of your firewall policy settings. The only solution offered: Disable IPv6 traffic entirely. For those who require IPv6 solutions, Email Battles serves up a study list of vendors offering a broad array of IPv6-ready firewalls. Warning: Most of the current IPv6 implementations depend on Linux or BSD.

Ugly surprises are popping up, as more and more people cede responsibility for patching Windows to Automatic Update. Security Update 908531 (Security Bulletin MS06-015), for example, triggered application lock-ups and made folders like "My Documents" inaccessible for afflicted users. Email Battles explains why you can count Automatic Update as a spectacular failure... or a stunning success. It's a "glass half-full or glass half-empty" thing.

In the constellation of Windows network managers, Vlad Mazek's a shiny new star. He's a hyper-active Windows crusader who administers a fleet of enterprise-class servers. So with all that Windows experience, why did Mazek choose Linux for his latest Windows-promoting project? Mazek says, when you get right down to it, it's strictly about cost: Linux is cheaper, even for a Windows MVP. That's bad news for Redmond. And very good news for Linux.