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Microsoft acts to stop people using Windows code

Microsoft Corp is sending letters to people who are downloading or sharing portions of its Windows source code, in an effort to stop the illegally obtained operating system blueprints from spreading further over the Internet.

Microsoft spokesman Tom Pilla said Wednesday that the letters are intended to let people know that such actions are illegal, and that the company is not threatening legal action at this point.

"We're asking users to, No. 1, simply stop sharing and distributing it, and, No. 2, to delete and destroy [it]," Pilla said.

Microsoft admitted last week that some parts of the tightly guarded blueprints for its Windows 2000 and Windows NT4.0 computer operating systems were illegally leaked over the Internet. The Redmond, Washington-based software giant has said it is working with the FBI on the case, and the company has vowed to "take all appropriate legal actions to protect its intellectual property."

Microsoft will not say how many people it believes may have obtained copies of the leaked source code, and industry estimates vary widely.

In some cases, Microsoft can identify people because of the nature of the peer-to-peer networks they use to share files.

Experts said the letters will likely stop legitimate businesses from facilitating the spread of the leaked code. But some speculated that such letters would actually add fuel to the fire for others.

"This will keep the honest people honest, but the mischievous people will have a field day," said John Pescatore, vice president for Internet security at Gartner Inc.

Still, Pescatore said Microsoft likely believes it must take actions to make clear that it intends to guard its intellectual property.

Pilla said Microsoft was already seeing some positive response to the letters.

The availability of the source code appears at this point to be causing embarrassment for Microsoft, but not prompting any major security problems thus far.

One reason for that is because the portion of source code that leaked appears to be several years old, and the company has taken steps to fix many flaws, said Chris Wysopal, director of research and development for AtStake Inc of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Wysopal said another issue is that few users have the expertise and sophistication to try to use the code maliciously, and are likely just downloading it because they are curious.

"I think [for] the vast majority it's just to have it, and they don't know what they're going to do with it," he said.
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