# Microsoft is going to start selling “security” software.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-is-going-to-start-selling-security-software/325142>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [October 7, 2005, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-is-going-to-start-selling-security-software/325142 "2005-10-07T03:10:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-is-going-to-start-selling-security-software/325142/41 "2005-10-13T18:36:17Z")

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> [@Steve MB](#):
>
> Historically, the problem isn’t so much that Windows is inherently easier to crack into – it’s that Windows ships with a plethora of take-me-I’m-yours default settings (e.g. user has full admin privileges unless he goes out of his way to create a limited “user” account) and elements (e.g. ActiveX).

Although I think you’re correct if you stipulate Windows NT and XP, this is not true for Windows (historically) in general. See, MS-DOS was specifically a single-user, single-computer OS, whereas UNIX derivatives are inherently multi-user. I think this fact alone (especially when combined with backwards compatibilty) is responsible for many Windows policies and problems, such as the “default Administrator rights” issue.

That’s not to say these things aren’t being solved; just that not being designed for networked usage, earlier incarnations of Windows actually _were_ easier to crack into.

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**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-is-going-to-start-selling-security-software/325142/42 "2005-10-13T20:05:05Z")

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> [@Steve MB](#):
>
> Historically, the problem isn’t so much that Windows is inherently easier to crack into – it’s that Windows ships with a plethora of take-me-I’m-yours default settings (e.g. user has full admin privileges unless he goes out of his way to create a limited “user” account) and elements (e.g. ActiveX).

Well, that certainly is true. XP could use better fail-safe defaults.

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