Windows 3.1, released on March 18, 1992 and known internally by the code name “Janus”, marked a crucial moment in the evolution of Microsoft operating systems and in the affirmation of the personal computer model that would dominate for the entire following decade. This version introduced improved graphics, more effective support for fonts TrueType and various optimizations that made the Windows environment more stable and usable than its predecessor, Windows 3.0. Furthermore, while still essentially an interface on top of MS-DOS, Windows 3.1 offered a first glimpse of more advanced networking, laying the groundwork for the future spread of networked services and, consequently, for the security problems that would emerge in the years to come.
At the time Windows 3.1 was first becoming widespread, computer security was still a largely unexplored concept for most businesses and ordinary users. Internet access was not widespread, connectivity was often limited to local area networks (LANs) or very basic remote connections, and many cyber attacks were still spread via infected floppy disks. Among the most notorious viruses of the time was “Michelangelo”, discovered in early 1991 and capable of infecting the boot sectors of disks; although it targeted the underlying DOS system, it could also affect computers running Windows 3.1, since the latter did not have security mechanisms capable of isolating or preventing the execution of malicious code at the system level. Other malware such as “Stoned”, “Form” and “Tequila” exploited similar methodologies, altering the boot sector or DOS executable files and thereby affecting the Windows ecosystem. It should be remembered that, in those years, a good part of the computer threats were not focused on the Windows environment itself, but on the underlying DOS level, which did not prevent these viruses from spreading to PCs running Windows 3.1.
Windows 3.1's approach to security was very rudimentary, partly because the main concerns at the time were system stability and compatibility with the vast pool of existing software. To protect against viruses, it relied almost exclusively on third-party antivirus software and physical control of the machines, reducing the mixed use of floppy disks and isolating (where possible) local networks. On the other hand, awareness of the risks of remote attacks was still low, and most businesses considered security a non-essential additional cost. Large-scale so-called "cyber attacks", as we understand them today, were rare, often limited to viral infections and some form of experimental intrusion into academic or military circuits.
Despite these limitations, Windows 3.1 managed to quickly establish itself throughout the world due to a series of combined factors. On the one hand, Microsoft had managed to reach licensing agreements with many hardware manufacturers, obtaining the default installation of Windows on PCs for sale; on the other, the more graphical interface user-friendly convinced a wider audience to embrace the idea of a personal computer with a “point and click” operating environment rather than remaining tied to the text-based commands of MS-DOS. This combination of ease of use and strong commercial partnerships helped consolidate Microsoft's position as a market leader, reducing competition from other operating systems of the time such as IBM's OS/2 and Apple's proprietary systems, which were more expensive and less open to third-party hardware solutions.
Windows's global success also sparked discussions about Microsoft's role in the security landscape and, later, in international cyberespionage. While the issue was still muted in the 1990s, with the advent of the Internet on a large scale and the ever-increasing integration of Windows systems in government and business environments, both targeted attacks on vulnerabilities in Microsoft products and theories about possible backdoors left open for surveillance purposes began to spread. Microsoft has always denied having intentionally collaborated to introduce flaws in its software, but there have been investigations and debates that have raised questions about the management of vulnerabilities and possible pressure from intelligence agencies.
In retrospect, Windows 3.1 can be considered the starting point of an era in which personal computing began to move beyond the circle of professionals and hobbyists to a much wider audience. Security concerns, initially relegated to the almost “artisanal” realm of floppy disk antivirus and manual checks, would later take on crucial importance with the spread of the Internet in subsequent years, leading Microsoft to adopt faster update strategies and develop increasingly sophisticated integrated protection systems. But all of this was rooted in an era in which home computing was taking its first steps toward global connectivity, and Windows 3.1 was the springboard for Microsoft to take the lead, with all the security implications that would characterize the decades to come.
* vice president of the Italian Subsidiary Security Association, national head of the CyberSecurity department
