Hardware-based security: The bug stops here - A new feature in Windows XP Service Pack 2 aims to put a stop to buffer overrun exploits, with the help of major chip vendors.

Buggy code is a fact of life: That's the message from Microsoft these days. Or rather, the company recognizes that as software grows in complexity it becomes increasingly difficult to prevent bugs from sneaking in under the radar.

This should come as no surprise to anyone who's wrestled with Microsoft products in the past few years. What's new is that the software giant is taking significant steps to address the problem. A new feature called DEP (Data Execution Prevention), which shipped with Windows XP SP2 (Service Pack 2), gives users an added layer of security against buffer overruns, one of the most common methods of transmission for viruses and worms.

A …