NSA provided security help for Windows, Mac OS X

[Nomad559]

http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/01/09/nsa-provided-security-help-for-windows-mac-os-x/

The National Security Agency has provided assistance to Microsoft and Apple in securing their Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, according to a report published Tuesday.

While Microsoft has sought NSA’s assistance for several years in the development of security for its Windows Vista operating system, due to be released to consumers January 30, as well as its Windows XP operating system, it has only recently acknowledged the intelligence agency’s role in securing the operating systems.
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Microsoft also has sought the security expertise of other U.S. government and international entities, including NATO. "I cannot mention any of the other international agencies," said Donald R. Armstrong, senior program manager of Microsoft's government security program, citing the wishes of those agencies to remain anonymous.

Microsoft's concerns extend beyond the welfare of its software when it seeks the security expertise of government agencies. "When you get into an environment where a Microsoft product is used in a battlefield situation or a government situation where if a system is compromised, identities could be found out," and it could be a matter of life and death, Armstrong said.

Other software makers have turned to government agencies for security advice, including Apple, which makes the Mac OS X operating system. "We work with a number of U.S. government agencies on Mac OS X security and collaborated with the NSA on the Mac OS X security configuration guide," said Apple spokesman Anuj Nayar in an e-mail.


For Windows Vista Security, Microsoft Called in Pros
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801352.html