“IT managers and security experts, increasingly cynical and
sharply critical over virus assaults through Microsoft Corp.’s
Outlook e-mail client, are questioning not only Microsoft’s
technology but also its reaction to the latest attacks.”
“The ILoveYou virus and its many derivatives, which numbered 29
by the end of this week, sent more than a warning about IT’s need
to update anti-virus software and educate users about attachments.
Now, many administrators are focusing their discontent on Outlook’s
technical design and its tight integration with Office applications
and Windows, which exposes code such as Visual Basic Script to
hackers and users alike. “
“If we didn’t already have [Outlook] installed, I don’t
think I’d get it now,” said an IT manager at a large East
Coast publishing company who requested anonymity. “We had to shut
down our Exchange server for an entire day, then go around to each
individual PC and clean them up and bring them back online after
hours.”
“For some, Microsoft’s refusal to help defuse Outlook’s ticking
VBScript bomb is more disconcerting than the attacks.”