It seems as if some of the big tech companies have a problem. A bug, called “Freak,” was recently found in encryption software used by users of Android, Blackberry, and Apple Safari users. More recently, Microsoft (MSFT) has also found its users to be at risk.

So what’s the deal? Apparently, the security hole weakens the connection between a computer and the websites it’s visiting, allowing hackers to spy on secure information passing between users and the servers of the sites they visit.

So far, Apple has plans to produce a patch for the flaw this week, while Google has already updated its version of Chrome for Mac users to remove any vulnerability, and has also developed a patch for Android, which it will provide to partners for distribution. But Microsoft? Well, it wasn’t until the other companies had already announced steps to remove their susceptibility that Microsoft admitted it even has a problem. And it doesn’t look like a fix is going to be so easy for Windows users. According to the BBC:

“In a security advisory note released on 5 March, Microsoft said every current version of Windows that uses Internet Explorer, or any non-Microsoft software that calls on a part of Windows called Secure Channel, was vulnerable to the Freak flaw.

Microsoft has issued advice about ways to remove the vulnerability from some of its software but said applying these fixes could cause ‘serious problems’ with other programs. It said it was working on a separate security update to remove the vulnerability.”

I get it. This isn’t just a Microsoft problem; it’s an industry-wide problem. But while Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG) are doing whatever they can to put users at ease, whether it’s already making fixes or giving a short-term timeline to get it fixed, Microsoft has simply told users that it is investigating the flaw and has yet to develop a patch that would protect users.

To be fair, the vulnerability is a lot harder to take advantage of than the majority of the media would like you to think. According to Reuters,

“Security experts said the vulnerability was relatively difficult to exploit because hackers would need to use hours of computer time to crack the encryption before launching an attack.”

But with privacy and security concerns becoming more important in the tech industry, the average customer doesn’t care what the odds are that they could be victimized. They need assurance that there will be an absolute zero chance. In this sense, Microsoft is behind the competition, something the company has been struggling with—whether it’s on the mobile front, where it missed the boat entirely; its Internet Explorer browser, which is notoriously slow and insecure; and now this.

So in the end effect, this is simply yet another sign that Microsoft is still running a little behind. While it still has a competitive edge, it’s still lacking on the innovation front, something that needs to change if it wants to remain at the forefront of the industry.