(Column) - Just when I thought I had seen it all, I discover another issue that could, at some point down the line, spell trouble for those who are interested in keeping their Vista machines safe from malware. But for the time being, it is more of a potential threat than anything immediate.

Regardless, sometimes it just feels like these proof-of-concept-type of endeavors that do more harm than good. At the very least, I sincerely hope that this individual chooses not to release the code, as it will likely seed the land with new malware concepts once it begins to catch on.

Why Do People Do This? In some cases, it is definitely malicious. But in the case of Alex Lonescu, it is clearly to prove a point that he strongly believes Microsoft missed. To be honest, I agree with him proving the point, preferably with a version of the app that is seriously handicapped to limit potential reverse engineering.

The argument against protected processes appears to be a fairly strong one in light of the link above, so now we must ask ourselves - if Windows is to flourish, how can it best protect its users?

Forget Windows and OS X: Just Try Linux

There is No Spoon. Assuming that most of you have seen the movie Matrix, I would pose this point made by the little boy during the adventure: "There is no spoon." What does this mean? Well, in the movie, it was inferring that even though you can see the object, it does not mean that it actually exists. I would go on to say that this demonstrates that trying to completely trump security is a lost cause, especially when you are a moving target.

This is not to say that Microsoft should give up completely. That would be unintelligent. But what I would say is that Microsoft's current security strategy is flawed. My thinking is that if the same thing were to happen to a more liberally licensed OS, say with an MIT license, Microsoft would have the help of their existing development base to find ways to conquer this kind of an issue. And at the same time, the company would be able to protect any portion of the code they chose to from prying eyes.

Tapping Into the MSDN. It seems to me that if there was a single group outside of Microsoft, interested in keeping them alive and healthy, it would be MSDN. I find myself wondering, since Windows is a closed source OS, would it not behoove Microsoft to employ a rewards program to enlist some of these same participants to help them keep Windows more secure? How far am I talking about taking this? I’m suggesting that Microsoft should have the Windows license resemble something like OSDL, but not open to the general public - just to the members of the MSDN.

Before everyone goes off spouting about how Microsoft already offers APIs and so on, let me be clear: they have not done a good job at keeping bad things from happening thus far. They need help, but they also wish to keep their proprietary code in some kind of a protected sphere of influence. Fine, then use the same kind of rules your employees experience and extend them to some of your MSDN members as well.

OS X Less Secure Than Vista

Crazy? I know, I’m crazy, and this makes no sense, and I eat granola and so on. I have heard it all before. Yet, I still believe I may be onto something here. Seriously, this would allow Microsoft to have its cake and eat it, too.

With no fear of reprisal, they could expand their OS developer resources without thinning their bottom line. Heck, if I was a member of the MSDN, I would love to participate in this, especially if my business depends on Windows not being a flawed mess. Then imagine if Microsoft decided to sweeten the pot with profit sharing to do this with them. If the OS had a blanket agreement that protected Microsoft from someone running off with the code, this would give them a significant edge over attempting to do everything in-house.

Now, let's roll back for a minute here. Take the proof-of-concept that was shown by Lonescu above, and consider what would happen if the MSDN ran the direction of Windows platform at more than what software and hardware will work on it. Think about it, and ask Microsoft what they are going to do to prevent more of these same issues from coming about. If I was a Windows developer, I would want more say over how my company’s future was going to look, that's for sure.