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The Fine Line Between Security and Usability

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the discarding-old-tech dept.

SkiifGeek writes to ask, "Where should vendors be required to draw the line when supporting deprecated file formats and technology? In a recent case independent security researcher cocoruder found a critical bug with the JET engine, via the .mdb (Access) file format, he reported it to Microsoft, but Microsoft's response came as a surprise to him — it appears that Microsoft is not inclined to fix a critical arbitrary code execution vulnerability with a data technology that is at the heart of a large number of essential business and hobby applications."

9 of 195 comments (clear)

  1. Oblig. Dilbert by damn_registrars · · Score: 5, Funny

    Mordac, the preventer of information services, makes a statement on security versus usability:

    http://dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/archive/dilbert-20071116.html

    --
    Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
  2. Re:In my opinion by actiondan · · Score: 5, Funny

    Microsoft is a company, there goal is profit. ... not making linux geeks smile

    Explain Vista then.

  3. Re:This is not news to me... by moderatorrater · · Score: 2, Funny

    I hope we re-write our app in mySQL Thems're fightin' words around here...
  4. Re:In my opinion by a_n_d_e_r_s · · Score: 2, Funny

    Thats not a bug - its a feature!

    --
    Just saying it like it are.
  5. Re:In my opinion by fm6 · · Score: 3, Funny

    The fact that it's a feature makes it a bug!

  6. Re:why do people by mfnickster · · Score: 4, Funny

    > why do people keep using access? It is so dinky as a relational database... I'm not honestly sure what it *is* supposed to be used for.

    Microsoft Access is a demo. It's meant to seduce you into thinking that developing your own database applications is easy and fun, and that Access can address your organizational needs adequately. This puts you onto the path that will eventually lead to you buying MS SQL Server.

    At least, that's been my experience! :)

    --
    "Slow down, Cowboy! It has been 3 years, 7 months and 26 days since you last successfully posted a comment."
  7. Access leads to... by argent · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Access is the path to the dark side, for Access leads to SQL Server, and SQL Server leads to suffering."

  8. Re:why do people by SCHecklerX · · Score: 2, Funny

    I thought it was just a way of keeping a bunch of copies of the same spreadsheet in one file. Not sure why they call them tables instead of spreadsheets though :)

  9. Drawing the line by gmuslera · · Score: 3, Funny

    Security
    ---------------------
    Microsoft

    Was that so hard?