eWeek reports that in a webcast Tuesday morning, Microsoft Security Business Unit Vice President Mike Nash said to expect the service pack?a major release?to enhance security in four ways. It will remedy open ports, malicious e-mail attachments, malicious Web content and buffer overrun attacks, Nash said.

Testers should begin receiving SP2 code before the end of this month via TechNet Plus and/or the Microsoft Developer Network, he said. Many observers are expecting Microsoft to start getting code into testers' hands as early as this week.