Windows Source Code Leaked

**BurntAsh** · 02-13-2004, 12:02 AM

According to Neowin, the source code for Microsoft Windows NT 4 and 2000 has been leaked. A number of universities and institutes already have legal access to the source code, distributed by Microsoft. It is still not confirmed by the software giant of Redmond - but in the wrong hands, this could result in a major security catastrophe and a huge threat against Microsoft's 32-bit operating system.

http://www.neowin.net/comments.php?i...;category=main

uh ohhhh spaghettios

Edit: since this story got slashdotted and is getting hit on every side you can imagine, good luck reading it. hehe this is gonna be interestinggggg

Edit 2: From what i gathered at slashdot and osnews the article text follows this..

Neowin has learned of shocking and potentially devastating news. It would appear that two packages are circulating on the internet, one being the source code to Windows 2000, and the other being the source code to Windows NT. At this time, it is hard to establish whether or not full code has leaked, and this will undoubtedly remain the situation until an attempt is made to compile them. Microsoft are currently unavailable for comment surrounding this leak so we have no official response from them at the time of writing.

This leak is a shock not only to Neowin, but to the wider IT industry. The ramifications of this leak are far reaching and devastating. This reporter does not wish to be sensationalist, but the number of industries and critical systems that are based around these technologies that could be damaged by new exploits found in this source code is something that doesn't bare thinking about.

We ask that for the wider benefit of the IT community that members and readers support Microsoft by forwarding anything they know about the leak to the Microsoft's Anti-Piracy department.

02-13-2004, 04:52 PM

This could be bad... I mean like Lawyer feeding frency bad.

Imagine if you will the things that would happen if someone happened to put just a tiny bit of inspired code in an open source project - we would all be labelled at theives and that would in the public eye make SCO right..

nasty nasty nasty,

**Lixus Looser** · 02-13-2004, 05:15 PM

What would be the purpose of stealing the code except to attack Windows systems? Who would in the Open Source community would actually want to use Windows code in a piece of software? I'm not asking because I doubt it, I ask because I'm ignorant.

And why is it that whenever Microsoft, SCO or other major software companies get attacked they automatically draw conclusions that it comes from the Open Source community? There are a lot of people out there acting on their own free will... I don't see people attacking Mac Users.....