(malware,WTF,security) Insecure? Cripple it!!

Background: nmap is an open source tool for port scanning -- detecting open ports, determine which services are running, etc. nmap needs an O/S feature called "raw sockets" to work, and MS has disabled raw sockets on XP recently, claiming it is needed for security.

Nmap Hackers: Microsoft Tightens the Noose on Raw Sockets

Of course Microsoft claims this change is necessary for security. That is funny, since all of the other major platforms Nmap supports (e.g. Mac OS X, Linux, *BSD) offer raw sockets and yet they haven't become the wasp nest of spambots, worms, and spyware that infest so many Windows boxes.

Read the whole article for more fun stuff from the fertile minds at MS.

"Fertile" in the sense of "filled with fertiliser" ;-)