Security leads on Microsoft upgrade

Microsoft has released Windows XP Service Pack 2 with advanced security to manufacture as a free upgrade, and is urging Windows XP users to turn on ‘automatic updates’ to get the stronger security, greater manageability and improved environment of the service pack. The pack establishes strong default security settings and adds new proactive protection features that will help better safeguard computers from hackers, viruses and other security risks. “Service Pack 2 is a significant step in delivering on our goal to help customers make their PCs better isolated and more resilient in the face of increasingly sophisticated attacks,” says Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect at Microsoft. “It is the result of sustained investments in innovation and extensive industry collaboration. It also reflects a broad recognition that as the security environment changes, the industry needs to work together to respond.”