Microsoft has hit back at criticisms from security vendor McAfee that it is dragging its feet in cooperating over Vista’s security readiness.On Thursday, Siobhan McDermott, McAfee communications vice president, said questions pertaining to the software development kit document it received from Microsoft had gone unanswered.She added: “Contrary to what it says publicly, Microsoft has not cooperated with the leading security providers. In fact, we have not received anything at all from Microsoft concerning PatchGuard. It is not at all acceptable for it to wait until a service pack and not offer us kernel access until after the launch of Vista.” The criticisms come hot on the heels of the software giant’s promise to the European Commission last week to provide the security vendors access to the Vista kernel.But Microsoft hit back Friday, dismissing the McAfee’s comments as “inaccurate and inflammatory,” pointing to the “months ahead” for the development and readiness of necessary software. Clive Longbottom, senior director of analyst firm Quocirca, dismissed McAfee’s criticisms as media opportunism. “It’s a moot point,” Longbottom said. “But nice for McAfee to be able to say, really. It isn’t a major issue at this point because companies aren’t looking at implementing Vista. They will be reviewing it on systems that don’t touch the Internet to work out its potential impact on productivity, change management and training.“They will also possibly be reviewing its security and taking to their incumbent providers. The security vendors can be up and running with Vista-ready packages within a couple of months of getting the information they need.” Longbottom added that businesses will get Vista next month, while consumers will wait until the new year when these problems should be ironed out. “Microsoft’s stuck between a rock and hard place,” he added. “Although the security of Vista has been an area that has held them back, they’re damned if they release a system with holes in it and have to produce patches soon after, and they’re damned if they don’t and wait.”-Miya Knights, Techworld.com (London)Related Links: Microsoft Vista Security Talks off to Bad Start Rivals: Microsoft Locking Others Out of Vista Security Microsoft Releases Vista Code to Security Firms McAfee: Microsoft Not Keeping Vista Security PromisesThis article is posted on our Microsoft Informer page. For more news on the Redmond, Wash.-based powerhouse, keep checking in.Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content News Amazon to lay off 9,000 more workers, including some at AWS The latest round of Amazon layoffs will impact AWS, Twitch, advertising and PXT, CEO Andy Jassy said. By Jon Gold Mar 20, 2023 3 mins Technology Industry Cloud Computing BrandPost What’s next for network operations Broadcom: 2023 Tech Trends That Transform IT By Serge Lucio, Vice President and General Manager, Agile Operations Division Mar 20, 2023 8 mins IT Leadership Networking BrandPost Digital transformation obstacles: Stubborn challenges, what to do about them Value Stream Management is an increasingly essential approach to strategic transformation initiatives. To help teams more fully capitalize on the opportunities it presents, Broadcom is holding its third annual VSM Summit. By Marla Schimke, Head of Product and Growth Marketing, Broadcom's Enterprise Software Division Mar 20, 2023 3 mins Devops Software Development Feature CEO directives: Top 5 initiatives for IT leaders As organizations change course with economic gyrations, collaboration between IT and business becomes priority No. 1 for CEOs. By Stacy Collett Mar 20, 2023 7 mins IT Leadership Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe