Not overly. While it's disconcerning to hear of the NSA's involvement, given the rate that hackers poke holes in Microsoft's products, potential back-doors would be flagged and patched, even if they're not seen as back-doors.

Of course, if one hacker found, conclusively, that there was an NSA back-door, customers would move to Linux en-masse. (Personally, I'm guessing that the public would just assume the same doors exist in OS-X as well...)

On Vista's new security features

I can understand security measures for, say, military, state dept, pentagon ect.. but I think this "extra" security is another step in the direction of a "open door" into people lives that have already been violated heavily by this current administration and whoever else wants to know what you are doing. Why don't they make a special gov't edition or something of the sort? Why would they release it to the general public if they are so concered with "security." There are other options that should cause people to think about this. Honestly if they wanted to be "more secure" then why not go with an free open-source Lynx system? I personally prefer the windows OS, but the arguements made for Vista's security seem to me like Sophistry to sell something to the public that they don't need and shouldn't want either.

It may NOT be to make M$ Operating Sytems more secure. It could be to better understand the systems in order to spy on users easier.

People who get concerned that the government is spying on them are way over rating the importance of their petty lives to the government.
Get over yourself. Unless you are collaborating with terrorist organizations the NSA has zero interest in you.

I don't want the NSA involved with developing our operating systems. We either have freedom or we don't, it's a simple as that. Perhaps we should look to Linux.

Anyone who trusts the federal government is a naive fool. Of course these agencies want to spy on citizens, and are doing it already, and a PC is a great way to get information about what we read, think about and communicate to others..
I am not surprised that Microsoft has rolled over and let the snoops sniff everyone's butt. It's a sleazy corporation, a prime example of the dangers of monopoly to a society that likes to think of itself as free. I'm just hoping that some smart hacker can uncover the truth of this issue and alert us. Year by year, the US government becomes a greater enemy to our liberties and the fundamental principles on which the country was founded.

Why worry about Vista when they can listen in on any and all other forms of communication and do.
Like senior said "wouldn't be prudent".

Live your life like an open book because since 'W' took over it is.

NSA did a similar thing for the Linux kernel, which is an OPTION upon installation. Users have the Source Code, and can verify this.

No such luck with Vista! The NSA 'security' is automatically invoked in Vista, and you will NOT see Microsoft's Source Code.

Reason #89352 that I run http://pclinuxos.com and insist upon ONLY using Open Source in all our businesses, schools, churches, and in government.

None of the "114,000 Microsoft Virus Definitions" are in any of the 500+ FREE and Open OSes.

And, it is suitable for any Pentium Class computer!

I would be leary of Vista now, because it seems that Big Government is joining forces with the Tech industry to create the very society illistrated by George Orwell in "1984".

Privacy is freedom as money is to Microsoft. I will think very hard about buying Vista now-I don't think I want Big Government able to sneak into my house while I'm still there.

This is just another example of "big brother" invading our privacy. This is NOT a function of government. Think about "who" is doing this invasion.... The likes of hilary clinton, barbara boxer, ted kennedy, and other sleeze like this. They cannot be trusted for any reason.

If this keeps up, I will give up on the internet and any microsoft product - and just compute with a simple DOS based computer!

"Concerned over NSA involvement with Vista security?"

Can't say that I am since I wasn't going to buy/use it anyway. I've often wondered who the speaker was in "My Computer", "My Documents", "My Music", "My Pictures" etcetera. Now that the "My" is being dropped at the same time Microsoft is assuming ownership of our machines, we can conclude that it was the user after all, not Microsoft.

I'm sure that some legal beagle pointed out that if you save something in "My Music", people would claim to have been led to believe, the aforementioned nonewithstanding, that they own the music.

I must say that I'm feeling a lot more relaxed watching these developments from a non-MSFT operating system.

Does anyone remember the two keys that Windows 95 had hidden in a security DLL that provided access to the system? It wasn't until a product update that a coder had failed to take the comments out of the file that everone realized the keys were for windows and the NSA. And does anyone remember when windows source code was leaked and microsoft had everyone tracked down and emailed them in a matter of hours about the incident?

The founders of the USA believed that it is the right of every human being to throw off the shackles of any government which takes away their freedoms, with violence if necessary. That viewpoint was considered treasonous, illegal, and dangerous by Great Britain. Today, anyone in America who sees how Bush and Cheney have taken away our freedoms, legalized torture, authorized spying on US citizens, monitoring our bank and library records, telephone calls, et. al. should recognize their rights, but we have become lazy. Am I advocating violent overthrow of the US gov't? No. The difference between the American Revolution and today is that they had a new continent to populate, and we have nothing. We're stuck with corporate irresponsibility, criminal behavior at the highest levels of government, media propaganda, and manipulation of what people can do, see, read, think, act, etc... Anyone who cannot see this is either thinking they are smarter than they really are, or have their heads in the sand. Gates and Bush make for odd bedfellows to be sure. I will never use Vista. I'd even venture to guess that there will be a loud outcry and backlash from this story and Vista will either bust, or be forced to remove these backdoors to government intrusion forbidden by the constitution.

Uncle Dick and The Shrubya have OUR best interests at heart. So I welcome the NSA spying on me with open arms!!! The NSA is our friend!!!....LOL

There is NO WAY I will touch Vista...it is tainted.

What next....Cheney Wallpaper and Sreen Savers?

"Land of the Free"....yea right.

Of course not.

The NSA only wants to spy on foreign governments and businesses. No, really.

In one swift move, Microsoft lost all credibility...in 1984. This is move #14,236,419 in which they've lost all credibility.

Come on...

Don't be sensationalist. Are you also concerned that the NSA developed SELinux and is used in such prominent distributions as Red Hat/Fedora? Do you know that the NSA as worked with Sun Microsystems to develop Trusted Solaris? As the article says, it's not the first time that the NSA has been enlisted to help secure a commercial product.

However, if you choose to view this issue through the narrow band offered by paranoia and sensationalism, then have it--but you're not seeing the whole picture.

Enlisting the help of the NSA does not mean the "the government" is going to be able to spy on you. Anyone who thinks so has probably digested too many articles like this one.

And oh, I actually care about freedom, liberty, and privacy. I've used Linux and FreeBSD on and off for about the last ten years.

One last thought: paranoia and conspiracy theories seek to simplify a complex world and put everyone and everything that the individual does not understand or cannot control into the neat tidy category of "evil." Process that. The complexity of the modern world is stupefying. Trying to view it too narrowly almost certainly assures that you're going to get the wrong idea.

Rob actively trusts the US government - a shady occupation at best.

NSA engineers are also behind Google - what was that famous Google CEO quote? "We want to know everything about you."

Well there it is again. I said something profound, but it was rather like offering grilled salmon to a dog. The basic idea is that the world is complex, and a mature mind sees it as such in all of its ambiguity and contradiction. How Dan could have come away with the impression that "Rob actively trusts the U.S. government" is exactly the kind of dim whitted narrowness that I was addressing. Way to fill in the details and be completely wrong.

At least whatever the NSA did that had to do with linux can be peer reviewed.

NSA + Microsoft = not surprised

Big government and big business go hand in hand.

They need each other.

This should be very troubling for everyone who values their privacy. It is well known that the NSA violates the Constitution on a routine basis.

This is absolutely shameful,
that we would allow our tax paid government agencies to get mingled with greedy corporations,
I guess that is what happens when you have an agency that answers to no one.

Yet another reason why Americans are hated the world over. "Profit before Justice"

THINK, I promise it won't hurt...

They hid this well as I JUST found out about this.

microsoft in with nsa...wow who'd of thought? My suggestion screw microsoft get linux. I tried to downgrade to xp and could'nt find any compatible drivers. The Question is, why are they so scared of xp? I say sue the crap out of microsoft. run'em into the gound. Dos all their servers. Overload their faxmachines. send gay porn to all microsoft corporate emails...wait they might that.
I'm sure there's someone out there with some more "flavorful" ideas. Another question. Why are most of the hack forums for sale? Where looking at a revolution here. Anyone else see it?

Yes. Those who are comfortable with the idea should move to China and publicly declare themselves as Falun Gong.