RSA Security announces a strategic agreement with Microsoft on security initiatives that will enable companies to provide security solutions to customers that offer a new level of interoperability and flexibility for their mission-critical information, applications and resources.

The first initiatives will center on Microsoft's licensing of RSA Security's RSA SecurID(superscript:) two-factor authentication software and RSA Security's development of an RSA SecurID Software Token for the Microsoft Windows Pocket PC.

Many businesses rely on the Microsoft platform as the fabric of their IT infrastructure, and identifying the people who are accessing those systems is a key requirement for all organizations. RSA Security will be working to provide organizations worldwide with the tools necessary to implement e-business processes within a secure, trusted and convenient environment.

Microsoft beta hacked
Microsoft is investing a security breach on a server that hosts its Windows beta community, which allows more than 20,000 Windows users a chance to test software that is still in development. Microsoft's network was recently breached giving the hacker access to grab the product, access to comments posted by beta testers, as well as the key used by beta testers to activate their software. In January 2001, online vandals prevented many people from accessing Microsoft's network by flooding routers and servers with data.

According to a company spokesman the incident is not significant as the trespasser has not got access to the company's source code. The system contains unreleased versions of Microsoft Windows products. In addition, the hacker would have had access to comments posted by beta testers, as well as the key used by the beta testers to activate their software.