Microsoft meets the hackers
C|Net | at | by Mike
The unusual March gathering, a summit of sorts between delegates of the hacking community and their primary corporate target, illustrates how important security has become to the world's most powerful software company. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates himself estimated earlier this year that the company now spends $2 billion a year--more than a third of its research budget--on security-related issues.
"It is rare that I can present to the people who are both responsible for and capable of fixing the issues that I cover," security researcher HD Moore said. But Moore did gain a better understanding of why it takes Microsoft so long to create patches and said his impression of the people who create the products have changed.