XP Service Pack 2 threatens Windows security effort

'Keep your patches updated' has been one of the mainstays of Microsoft's security advice to its users. It seems the Redmond behemoth is having trouble with the timing of its own patching, however – two of its software offering designed to make the patching and updating process easier will be delivered months late.

Windows Update Services (WUS) and Microsoft Update Service (MUS) were meant to be released this summer but are now likely to be released much later.

WUS is a patch management tool designed to help businesses automate patching. It's now likely to be available in mid-2005. MUS updates a wider spectrum of programmes and products like Office and SQL server, as well as Windows itself – it will now be released in the same timeframe – both up to a year later than promised.

Mike Nash, corporate VP of the security business and technology unit at Microsoft, said that the delays were in part due to the effort the development team was putting into the final features into Windows XP Service Pack 2. SP2 has itself been subject to a series of delays - originally meant for June or July, it is now to be released in August.