XP Service Pack 2: Last stop till 'Longhorn'
eWeek | at | by Mike
Microsoft executives have kicked off the campaign for the company's next big Windows push: Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). In a Webcast Tuesday morning, Microsoft Security Business Unit Vice President Mike Nash said to expect the service packa major releaseto enhance security in four ways. It will remedy open ports, malicious e-mail attachments, malicious Web content and buffer overrun attacks, Nash said.
The next full-fledged upgrade to Windows XP, code-named Windows "Longhorn," is not expected to debut until 2006 at the earliest.
SP2 will include a greatly enhanced version of Microsoft's Internet Connection Firewall (renamed "Windows Firewall") that will allow users greater control over the Internet access of their applications, Nash said.