Microsoft employs monkeys

Microsoft obviously cares about its customers' security. With many threats aimed at its Windows-based products: WinXP, Outlook, IE, to name a few, the company which is based in Redmond, Washington decides to take some proactive measures to safeguard its reputation and restore their customers' faith in their products. Microsoft researchers are now using "monkeys" to thwart any possible security threats, according to SecurityFocus .

The software giant's Cybersecurity and Systems Management (CSM) research group are building a system of virtual Windows XP computers that crawl the Web looking for sites that use unreported vulnerabilities to compromise customer's PCs. Dubbed "honeymonkeys," the virtual machines run a full version of Windows XP with monitoring software and crawl high-risk areas of the Web looking for trouble.

The larger idea behind "honeymonkeys" are "honeypots", phony systems that are set-up to look like real, functioning systems to fool and lure intruders and monitors the intruders' behaviour once they are inside.

Perhaps the message they are trying to send out is: never make a monkey out of Microsoft.