This gives the attacker the ability to bypass anti-exploitation technologies in the underlying operating system and exploit flaws in the OS that otherwise would not be exploitable.

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The tarnishing of its once-platinum reputation began long before June, when a U.S. judge found Microsoft guilty of violating anti-trust laws by leveraging its operating system monopoly to take over other parts of the software business.

CNN: Brickbats for Bill

With every new Apple device and every upgrade to its mobile operating system, the maze of anti-hacking measures built into the iPhone and iPad become more tortuous, and the game of defeating them becomes more elaborate.

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Thousands of computers running Microsoft's Windows XP operating system were unable to connect to the internet after installing an anti-virus update.

BBC: Kaspersky anti-virus cuts web access of thousands of PCs

The court hearing stems from an anti-trust suit the US Government filed last October, accusing Microsoft of using its dominance with the Windows 95 operating system to gain an unfair market share for its Internet browser, Internet Explorer, over its competitor Netscape Communications Corp.

BBC: Microsoft lawyers meet opponents