Microsoft seems to be working hard to improve its Windows Vista Patch Protection defenses, with the company issuing an updated PatchGuard.

The updated PatchGuard is available as a high-priority download through Windows Update.

Purple Pill, a utility software that can by-pass the new anti-rootkit/anti-DRM defense mechanism built into the 64-bit Vista kernel, has been released, downloaded 39 times and then removed more than an hour later.

Previously we reported on a similar tool that would bypass Vista’s kernel protection to allow the installation of unsigned drivers that could possibly contain a rootkit.  Microsoft has now released Windows defender updates to remove and block the threat.

This really shouldn’t come as a surprise. Microsoft touts Vista as the most secure version of Windows yet, find a news article about Vista and chances are the very same thing has been said thousands of times over. Saying it is the most secure version of Windows isn’t really saying much at all.

Those with Windows XP have the option to install Windows Defender; those that have Vista installed already have Windows Defender. The short history of Windows Defender goes back a few years when Microsoft decided to acquire Giant AntiSpyware. Beta 1 and Beta 2 of Windows Defender were just rehashes of Giant AntiSpyware.