Microsoft has applauded Vista from the get go as the most secure Windows platform, but according to a comparison put together by Jeff Jones, Security Strategy Director in Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing group, the status quo is also valid for rival operating systems.

Windows XP, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Workstation, Ubuntu 6.06 LTS, Novell Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop 10, Apple Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger and Windows Vista are the operating systems evaluated by Jones. At the bottom of this article, you will be able to find graphics with details of the comparison.

Additionally, you can also access the .pdf version of the Windows Vista 6-Month Vulnerability Report authored by Jeff Jones.

"Windows Vista holds up well in this comparison, showing a significantly improved vulnerability profile over its first 180 days of availability compared to Windows XP and the other operating systems that were examined.

It’s interesting to note that Windows Vista is being subjected to a greater level of scrutiny than its predecessor, as tools used by security researchers have become significantly more sophisticated since Windows XP was released," revealed Austin Wilson of Microsoft’s Windows Client Group.

source: msfn.org

I'm always skeptical when seeing Microsoft and Security in the same article without the modifier Woeful being included. However, I am surprised and impressed with the lack of security issues in Vista. Certainly it isn't the digital catastrophe that the Chicken Littles where hoping for when predicting doom.