A year later, many security companies have had the chance to examine Win2K in detail. And hackers have had their shots at cracking it. So how have Redmond's promises of improved security stood up after this gimlet-eyed scrutiny? Surprisingly well. While . . .
A year later, many security companies have had the chance to examine Win2K in detail. And hackers have had their shots at cracking it. So how have Redmond's promises of improved security stood up after this gimlet-eyed scrutiny? Surprisingly well. While plenty of security flaws have been discovered in Win2K, experts say they're less serious than past holes. And very few have been of the variety that allows intruders to take full control of a computer network remotely -- doomsday for any company that sells software.

What's more, the new security features, which do everything from give systems administrators more control over who can do what on a network to vastly improved password encryption, have given Microsoft a solid base to build on. "In a nutshell, Microsoft has stepped up to the plate big-time," says Joel Scambray, managing director at Internet security consultancy Foundstone.

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