David Morgenstern
02/19/2004

Microsoft Corp. is warning the online community to keep its hands off purloined Windows source code.

The company on Tuesday confirmed it had sent legal warnings to some persons who it said had downloaded the stolen code from the Internet.

Source code from Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 was posted on the Internet on Thursday, and Microsoft Corp. said at the time that it had initiated internal and external investigations.

Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft declined to specify the contents or the distribution of its warning message. But according to a report filed on Steven Bink's and Ryan Hoffman's Amsterdam-based Bink.nu site, Microsoft warned at least one recipient that he was in violation of copyright laws.

"The unauthorized copying and distribution of Microsoft's protected source code is a violation of both civil and criminal copyright and trade secret laws," Bink.nu quotes the notice as reading. "If you have downloaded and are making the source code available for downloading by others, you are violating Microsoft's rights, and could be subject to severe civil and criminal penalties."

The letter then demands that persons in possession of the source code stop sharing the code, destroy copies and inform Microsoft of the origin of the copy.

Bink said the recipient of the letter had downloaded the leaked code through a peer-to-peer network that had automatically shared his copy. Microsoft traced him through that channel, he said. Microsoft sent the letter to his Internet Service Provider, which then forwarded the e-mail message.

The legal message continues: "Microsoft takes these issues very seriously, and will pursue legal action against individuals who take part in the proliferation of it source code. We look forward to your prompt cooperation. Should you need to contact me, I can be reached at the address above"

Microsoft spokesman Tom Pilla confirmed that the company had sent out the cease-and-desist notices since the Windows code began appearing on Thursday, but he declined to provide any further details.

"We are obviously taking all appropriate legal actions to protect our intellectual property," he said.

Besides the illegal receipt of copyrighted materials, persons downloading the source code?especially developers?could face other problems,, legal experts said. Individuals examining the Windows code could face charges of trade-secret violations and infringement of software patents.

Original Article:

Ohhh, boy!

Yes indeed, they seem to be pretty upset.

already... winxp kernel xpl0it on the air... billG [M$] must be panic!

lets fwd. a condolence [of STUPIDITY] to secure@microsoft.com (O;

now lets hope they dont catch all 23,000,000 people that has it .
it could be a disaster
now seriuos:
if i had downloaded it but didnt know it was real, then saw it was real then erased it (who wants this crap anyway) - now does this illeagel ?

Well it was bound to happen...there will be some legal writs flying all around the world as i write

All the more reason to clamp down on anyone posting snippets of code here IMO.

What I would love is if someone who had the code found some open source code in there. Code that was maybe listed under the GPL.

Then they could possibly have to open it all of it.

But I agree it was bound to happen. I am really suprised this hasn't happened before

phase

As soon as this was released on the Warez scene it was untracable.

Dont be silly and get it from P2P

microsoft is angry for sure
they can't stop it.. alot of people have this code, and they'just can't do anything about it

Microsoft... the epitome of cockiness. Who in there right mind would want Microsoft's code for developing their own software??? They say they are trying to protect their intellectual property and "trade secrets"... guess what, the secret is out, Microsoft sucks!!!

Any jack ass that would download Microsoft's code with the intent to try to reproduce the technology should be promptly drug out into the street and shot. I didn't bother with this, cuz if I wanted to see shitty code, I'd look at my own.

haha...
some of my friends are selling it for lunch money, its rediculous.
they cant stop it... although i dont have it
for my 2 cents..all i have to say is:

HA HA!


peace out.
PS: i wonder what Microsoft 2004 will be like hehehe.
now with added inbuilt security that shoots floopy disks if you reveal the source code!

windows... yes!!!!!
linux..... Very..x100000 yes, yes, yes x 10000000000000000

Microsoft just keeps giving us more and more things to play with. . .=]

Honestly I agree with MS. Leave their code be .. Sure it is exiting cause it's not normally available. But I mean, if its ClosedSource, let it be that way. If you don't like ClosedSource software, don't use it simple as that.

i have a feeling you work for microsoft...

inbuilt security for floppies?? damn, microsoft is trying to make life better, but they're just adding more problems to their OS...

i personally think windows 2003 is a very good operating system, if you make abstraction of the continuous windowsupdates ...

Well guys I have heard that it is not stolen from MS - MS has got a partner who also writes codes on behalf of MS - if I am not wrong its Mainsoft, there was some clash between MS and Mainsoft and they leaked out the code around 203MB which MS says is around 15% of Win2k code

what?? only 15%?? damn! i didn't see it, but they probably left out the stuff we want to exploit, if that's the case... stupid people

No, Microsoft is worried someone will release actual updates that FIX stuff.

crap on ms

I'm using WinXP and it seems to be VERY vulnerable to spyware, hrmmm wonder WHY! M$ needs to do some re-programming on their software or just quit making it, I am about to switch to Linux if this is going to become a problem in the near future.

faint...

Should we feel sorry for M$? <scratching head> I just can't do it.

A man who can buy a continent, and is pictured smiling at million dollar a day fines for monopolizing, tries to offset that image by donating millions of dollars to his church and various other charities, codes his software to feed M$ your personal information albeit legal by the skin of his teeth, so he can better "design his product to the population", and then hunts down the average internet user threatening to take away their freedom, and what little money they may hold dear to maintain their lives, even though he makes that 80 times over in a matter of hours, for merely owning the code leaked to them by somebody else that Billy Boy reamed. <long pause>

Nope. My heart is just not capable of bleeding for his cause and actions.....I'm sorry...am I ranting on M$?

Open source can only make this o/s better...

I say lets see what the coders can do out there

Viva la Revolution !!

i think we've all expected that. a leak in microsoft was only a mather of a time for me