For the hardcore programmers out there, be warned that the anticipated Windows Powershell scripting technology has already been targeted by a group of European virus writers.

A mischievous Austrian group has developed a malware code with the potential to shut down Microsoft's Powershell program, a major part of the upcoming Exhange Server 2007 (set for release in late 2006 or early 2007). (Source: microsoft-watch.com)

Windows Powershell is the newest command-line shell from Microsoft, an engine that serves as the controller of system administrative tasks. Its main draw is that it allows administrators greater productivity by allowing them to use a number of different system administration utilities.

In addition, Powershell provides consistent syntax and an easier method of exploring system management data, like the registry or Microsoft's Windows Management Instrumentation. All in all, Powershell is meant to make a complicated system just a bit easier to navigate and maintain. (Source: microsoft.com)

None of that might matter if Vienna virus vermin construct an effective way to shut down a system and effectively disrupt navigation of a registry. Most tech insiders, including researchers from security hound McAfee, see the preemptive strike as simple proof that no program is completely safe. (Source: pcw.co.uk)

Whether malware goons are looking for a new challenge or see Powershell as some sort of threat to their craft in the future, this recent evidence that Microsoft's technology is vulnerable could prove problematic for the most complex systems.