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By Cara Garretson

Google has decided to halt the internal use of Microsoft's Windows operating systems due to security concerns, according to a report.

An article published Monday in the Financial Times says that Google employees have acknowledged that the company will no longer use Windows. Prompting the decision, according to the article, was the hacking of Google's systems, originating in China and discovered in January. It was reported that a security hole in Microsoft's IE browser -- which is a part of the Windows operating system -- was how the hackers got access to Google's systems.

"We're not doing any more Windows. It is a security effort," said one Google employee.

Instead, new hires at Google can choose between Macs or PCs running Linux. Employees who still want to run Windows must get specific approval from senior officials such as Google's CIO. Google declined to comment on the policy.

While security appears to be the driving force behind Google's decision to ditch Windows, the fact that the company will soon come out with Chrome OS, a competitor to Windows, may be a contributing factor. In November, Google said Chrome OS will be released in late 2010.

In a November blog post, Google stated that the security features to be included in its open-source OS will be unlike those found in traditional operating systems. Chrome OS will inherently distrust any application, and therefore run it in a security sandbox -- a controlled set of resources for executing programs that block the application from accessing the network, input devices, and other shared elements -- so that malware will have a more difficult time installing itself. The OS will also verify the integrity of its own code every time the user restarts; if it finds the PC has been compromised it will reboot to provide a fix, says Google.

"While no computer can be made completely secure, we're going to make life much harder (and less profitable) for the bad guys," according to the blog.

Windows, on the other hand, has become a major target for attackers, as indicated by the number of security patches Microsoft releases for the OS and its components every month. However, some argue that Windows has become a primary target for hackers because the OS is so popular.

Comments (4)

	1. 06-01-2010 14:57
	Very surprised that they were using the OS anyways. I thought they'd all be Linux.    Here is what I do if I need to run Windows or I purchase one with the OS. (Are you listening Google).    I install Linux on the machine and then I download Suns/Oracle's Virtual Box and run the OS in there.    That way I have a snapshot if anything gets weird.     You just have to be more aware of backing up your data, that's all. Registered

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	2. 06-01-2010 15:58
	Do they really expect us to believe they were running un-patched IE instead of Chrome?    As if Google's hacking problem is entirely MSFT's fault... Registered

David Chappelle

	3. 06-01-2010 19:38
	At this point, this proclamation is about as dramatic as Apple saying they are not going to use Windows internally...these companies are fierce competitors with alternative solutions to the same needs. It's a clever marketing spin however to attempt to justify what was likely an already planned migration to ChromeOS in the near future based on Microsoft's security flaws. IT does seem a little odd that Macs would be an option, but I guess even Google has Apple devotees. Registered

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	4. 06-04-2010 02:36
	I saw this and about laughed myself off my chair, this is strictly hype. An OS that inherently distrusts all applications? Now does anyone remember what people didn't like about Vista?    -sean Registered

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