What impact did Blaster and the earlier Slammer worm outbreaks have on Microsofts security strategy?
Ballmer: Security has been a top software development priority for Microsoft for more than two years and will continue to be a top priority for the foreseeable future. When I talked in October about redoubling our efforts, it was in recognition of a sharp increase in criminal attacks on the world computer systems, that the popularity of broadband means viruses and worms can spread incredibly fast, and that no software is immune from these attacks. We understand that Microsoft has a key role to play in helping to improve computer security and that we need to continue to invest and deliver against security at the highest level possible. Creating a truly trustworthy computing environment requires Microsoft and our industry to make significant progress on three fronts in addition to security: reliability, privacy and business integrity. From a security perspective, our focus is on reducing vulnerabilities in code, making our software more resistant and resilient to attack and helping custo
