A article published by the Wall Street Journal contained an interesting point from a Microsoft representative about the security of the Windows operating system. 
The spokesman, though not specific, told the WSJ that a 2009 agreement by the European Commission is why Microsoft can't lock down its operating system more to boost security.
After a complaint, the company spokesman said, Microsoft agreed in 2009 with the European Commission that it would give security software makers the same level of access to Windows that Microsoft has.
This decision means that security software vendors have the ability to take down systems, as CrowdStrike did this week when it crashed 8,5 million Windows computers worldwide.
The document describing the agreement between Microsoft and the European Commission is available as Doc file on the Microsoft website.
Giving security software vendors access to APIs is good for a level playing field, something the EU has been concerned about, but not good for security, as we saw this week when CrowdStrike's software caused global chaos.
Ironically, while the EU aimed to make things fair, Apple and Google who make macOS and ChromeOS aren't bound by the same restrictions… yet.
According to the WSJ, Apple told developers in 2020 that it would not give them access to a core level of the operating system.
The European Union has been stepping up measures to deal with so-called anti-competitive behavior by big tech companies in recent years, so it's unlikely to go down a path of allowing Microsoft to further lock down Windows, despite the benefits.
