It's like the chicken-or-the-egg debate: Is the Microsoft platform simply less secure or is it just targeted more because it's so widely used?
The answer depends on whom you ask. What is woefully apparent is that a second critical security flaw affecting ActiveX controls in Internet Explorer does not bode well for a company trying to win over users to its Web-based applications, specifically in the wake of the announcement of the upcoming browser-based Office Web applications.
Let's face it, Outlook Web Access works a heck of a lot better in Internet Explorer than in Firefox, for example. That probably isn't by accident. It stands to reason that Internet Explorer will be the best browser option for users of Office Web applications.
For the most part, Office applications have been isolated from the security issues that routinely affect Internet Explorer because they're installed locally and not part of the browser. Is it such a leap to wonder, as the integration of Microsoft applications with Internet Explorer moves forward, that there could be a host of new security issues? Issues not only affecting IE but now Web-based applications? How safe will a user's data remain if that data is created in Office Web?
Microsoft is getting on board with the cloud computing thing, pressured no doubt by Google. Yet, Microsoft must show potential users that a Microsoft cloud-based platform will incorporate good security and leave behind that "good enough" mentality that has wreaked havoc on the security reputation of its past products.
