Yahoo!/ZDNet: Insurer: Microsoft Is A Costly Choice

"In light of the $2 billion in damage caused by Code Red, founder and CEO John Wurzler's decision just before the virus hit seems prescient. Wurzler gained notoriety earlier this year for hiking cyberinsurance rates on companies that use Microsoft NT software on their servers.

So far, Wurzler appears to be the only insurer singling out Microsoft for higher rates. And some security officials are not kind in their comments.

"Wurzler is full of it," said Russ Cooper, the editor of the NTBugTraq Web site and an employee of computer risk management and security firm TruSecure. According to Cooper, Windows NT and IIS are easier to secure than comparable Unix- or Linux-based servers because Microsoft does a better job of publicizing and supplying the needed security patches for its products. "It's easier to manage Microsoft server software because you can get all the patches in one place," he said."

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Related Stories:

• CNN: Security expert: Tighter measures needed [Bruce Schneier plugs Linux to Senate](Jul 17, 2001)
• Interactive Week: Insurer Considers Microsoft NT High-Risk(May 29, 2001)
• The Register: Anti-Hacking premiums 25% higher for Win NT(Apr 18, 2001)
• Crypto-Gram: Insurance and the Future of Network Security (Mar 16, 2001)