Macro viruses are another fine example of Microsoft
innovation. In 1995, Microsoft sent out a CD (
Microsoft Windows 95 Software Compatibility Test) to hundreds of business customers containing the
Concept Virus. After ignoring the problem for a couple of months they labelled it a "
prank". Apparently they managed to repeat this trick several more times (with the Wazzu macro virus), which goes towards explaining how these virii had proliferated to almost every halfway-stupid office in the world (back before many offices were even using email).
They even managed to distribute infected CD's at a technology exhibition (ORBIT) in 1996. As an encore, they managed to chuck an upgraded version of the Wazzu virus onto several thousand beta copies of Office 97.
Considering that they had the knowledge and technology to correct the glaring security faults that made this farrago possible practically from day one, it seems rather unsurprising that they got hacked twice recently. Any problem with their software isn't even acknowledged by Microsoft until it threatens to lose them money.