Microsoft demands responsible reporting on flawed software

NEWS Microsoft has joined forces with five security companies to create a forum promoting the responsible dissemination of news on the latest software defects. The company said software makers have an ethical responsibility to report on software flaws and proposed a industry-wide code of conduct. Microsoft, which has in the past been accused on one or two occasions of releasing faulty software, proposed to give software makers 30 days to create patches for flawed applications while making software writers aware of the problem, US wires report. The news was announced at Microsoft's Trusted Computing conference. Earlier this week, silicon.com exclusively revealed a loophole in a Microsoft website designed for qualified Microsoft systems professionals. The flaw allows anyone who has access to a Microsoft Certified Professional's MCP number, acquired on passing the exam, to enter that person's MCP site, which includes personal details such as qualifications. Microsoft has so far declined to comment on the fault.