| NSA Helped Microsoft Secure Windows Vista |
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| Thursday, 18 January 2007 | |
 The National Security Agency helped Microsoft build and test the security of Windows Vista, according to a story last week in the Washington Post.
According to the Post, the NSA sent a team of cryptologists to Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington, to test Vista's security. The group was divided into two teams--a "red team" that pretended to be hackers and compromise the operating system, and a "blue team" that assisted Microsoft developers in combating the red team. The NSA employees also helped other government workers in testing Vista and ensuring compatibility with existing systems, according to the Post story. Microsoft isn't the only IT vendor that has received assistance from the NSA, according to the story. Other companies that have also worked with the spy agency include Apple and Novell. But Microsoft is the only IT company currently receiving assistance from the NSA. "Our intention is to help everyone with security," Tony Sager, the NSA's chief of vulnerability analysis and operations group, told the Post. "It's partly a recognition that this is a commercial world." Windows Vista became available to business users last November. The consumer version is currently slated to become available on January 30. |
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