microsoft internet information server
As you learned in chapter 3, internet information Server (iis) is microsoft's web server software. microsoft supplies iis with the versions of its windows server operating systems that are suitable for use in operting electronic commerce web sites.
In august 2001, microsoft faced an uncomfortable situation that many u.s. manufacturing companies have experienced with recalled, defective products. microsoft executives stood by at a news conference while a U.S. government official announced to reporters that there was a serious flaw in a microsoft product. the director of the FBI's National infrastructure protection center was warning reporters that the code red worm, which was spreading through the internet for the third time in as many weeks, was a serious threat to the continued operation of the internet.
many microsoft customers were outraged by these statements, noting that microsoft had issued more than 40 software patches in the first half of 2001 and 100 or more patches in each of several prior years. IIS users complained that keeping the software current was virtually impossible and called for microsoft to deliver software that was more secure when first installed.
many IIS users began to consider switching to other Web server software. Gartner,Inc., a major IT consulting firm, recommended to its clients that they seriously consider alternatives to IIS for their critical web server installations. many industry observers and software engineers agree that microsoft was a victim of its own success. it had created a very popular and complex software products, and the popularity of the software made it an attractive target for crackers-one worm could bring down many of the servers would not have all of the available security upgrades installed, combined to make it an irresistible target for a worm creator.