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Black Hat Briefings: Microsoft plans to showcase Vista as its “most secure operating system ever,” but independent researchers worry that the hacker powwow is being reduced to a glorified product demo.

For Microsoft, the coming days of Black Hat Briefings hacker scrutiny in Las Vegas could make or break its claim that Windows Vista is the “most secure operating system ever.”

The software maker will use the August 2-3 security conference to showcase a wide range of security features and functionality being fitted into the successor to Windows XP.

But even as the Redmond, Wash., company’s hype machine swings into high gear, independent researchers worry that the venerable hacker powwow is being reduced to a glorified product demo for a rich sponsor.

“You’re not going to learn much from a Microsoft talk. They’re basically there to do a Vista demo and tell the IT guy that they’ve made it harder to break,” said Marc Maiffret, chief hacking officer at eEye Digital Security, in Aliso Viejo, Calif.

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