http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,18699718%5E15306%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html Simon Hayes and James Riley The Australian APRIL 04, 2006 MICROSOFT has promised to help Australia tackle threats to "national security, economic strength and public safety" under a deal to allow its engineers to examine attempts to hack into federal government computer networks. Microsoft managing director Steve Vamos and Attorney-General's Department secretary Robert Cornall will sign the Microsoft Security Co-operation Agreement tomorrow in a ceremony to be chaired by Attorney-General Philip Ruddock at federal Parliament House. The deal is to share data on security incidents and information on critical events and security emergencies. Australia follows the US, Canada, Chile and Norway in signing the agreement, aimed at improving the flow of computer security information. The deal builds on Microsoft's 2003 agreement to allow the government to examine source code for Windows and Office. That agreement followed an increase in the popularity of open source software. Microsoft opened its code to select governments to prove its technology was as safe as any other, but not all governments were happy with the access restrictions imposed by Microsoft. China, Russia, Britain and NATO signatory countries are among other nations to have signed that agreement. The new agreement is expected to include access to information on planned software patches, and data about vulnerabilities that Microsoft is investigating, allowing the government to plan ahead for security threats. Also likely is an agreement for Microsoft to provide resources for a joint response to emergencies, and to provide assistance with consumer education campaigns on computer security. A Microsoft Australia spokesman declined to comment on the program. Chairman Bill Gates told a conference in February last year that Microsoft would give governments better access to security information, and would help protect critical infrastructure. "We have 24-hour-a-day surveillance working with other companies, so we see things and we can work with governments around the clock when there is a challenge," he said. "Having these channels of communication open, knowing exactly who to work with, what the messaging should be, that's something we're putting in place." Microsoft public sector corporate vice-president Gerri Elliott last year said the program would make it easier to track and combat security threats to government agencies and critical infrastructure. "The digital age creates some unique challenges for governments to help secure their computing environments," he said. "By taking a collaborative approach with global governments, we can bring to bear the combined expertise from public and private sectors and enable governments to better prepare, manage and mitigate the impact of security incidents." _________________________________ Donate online for the Ron Santo Walk to Cure Diabetes http://www.c4i.org/ethan.html
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