Microsoft launches damage control ;code leaks from Israeli source

[MrPrax]

Microsoft launches damage control after code leaks from Israeli source

The developments in the affair of the leaking of the source code for the Windows operating system continue to make headlines around the world. Tuesday evening, Microsoft officially confirmed that the leak came from a computer at the Israeli Mainsoft software company; but at this stage, the investigation is still underway and no further details are available.

Microsoft is investigating the leak in coordination with the American Federal Bureau of Investigations, and when the probe is complete, Microsoft will publish its findings. Microsoft emphasized that the leak was not the result of a breach of Microsoft's network, nor was it caused by the open code programs under which Microsoft's code is given to big clients such as governments and strategic organizations. The code was given to Mainsoft just as it is given to other Microsoft business partners that are developing software based on Microsoft products.

<snip>
According to the various reports, the Mainsoft computer from which the code was leaked is the computer used by Eyal Alalouf, Mainsoft's director of technology, who has so far maintained media silence and is refusing to respond. Mainsoft is an Israeli start-up that develops software for converting Microsoft applications to run on the Unix operating system.

Mainsoft has already been responsible for one small scandal, when it was reported in 2000 that the company was developing software for converting Microsoft applications to run on the Linux open code operating system - a code that Microsoft refuses to support to this day, and which is considered the natural outgrowth of the Unix closed code. Mainsoft, whose headquarters are in San Jose, New Mexico, and whose R&D center is in Israel, has been a partner of Microsoft's since 1994. Mainsoft has disclosed only that it will cooperate fully with Microsoft and the authorities in investigating the leak. Microsoft and FBI investigators are due to arrive in Israel over the next few days to continue the investigation.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/395900.html

Yikes...
Posting additional 'Caveat' from LinuxJournal.com

Say "No, Thanks" to Offers of Illegal MS Source Code
As a reminder to our readers, we are repeating the same advice we published in 2000, the last time Microsoft's source code was compromised. Don't look at it or you could contaminate yourself legally.
http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=7407&mode=thread&order=0

[alfredo]

1. I fear that M$ will use this leak to pull an SCO on the Linux community.

BTW, keep an eye out for further cooperation between Apple and the BSD community.

More and more UNIX apps have been ported to run natively in Aqua. I just got an Aqua port of Lyx working. It looks great and works well. The teTex installer that came with it was a thing of beauty.

Today I am going to attempt my first install of Debian.

[F.Gordon]

2. Interesting

A couple of weeks ago I was constantly being probed by someone who desperately wanted to get into my computer. He/She was routing through Salt Lake City through Amsterdam from an origin point in a small town in Israel.

Should Bush* invade Israel for "cyber-terrorism"???

[Lurking Dem]

3. So the entire nation of Israel

is at fault now?

[F.Gordon]

4. Sure. Whatever.

It's called "tongue-in-cheek". Being cynical. Lighten up Spanky.

I don't blame the country of Israel.

[The Stranger]

5. I think you've illustrated his point.

Someone in Iran hates us, so we have to invade and kill and take their weapons (whether they have any or not).

[Occulus]

6. Where in God's name did you

get that silly notion?

[Flagg]

7. no, Bill Gates is just an anti-semite that's all

[mouse7]

8. Enough with the "Isreal, the victim" crap

The M$ source code leak has been a story of high interest for days. Isreal's name was mentioned as the place the leak happened to come from, and the AIPAC crowd starts with the "So the entire nation of Israel is at fault now?" as a reflex action.

Israel was picked as the site to do this for a reason though. The US and Microsoft are far less likely to be able to negotiate a settlement that brings the leaker to justice somehow with Israel than any other country in the world.

[mobuto]

9. Bwahahah

The US and Microsoft are far less likely to be able to negotiate a settlement that brings the leaker to justice somehow with Israel than any other country in the world.

Yup, those evil AIPAC Elders of Zion manipulate behind the scenes to protect 13 year old computer hackers.

Snore.

[mouse7]

12. No, AIPAC supporters show up and manipulate this board.

Just like AIPAC supporters showed up and manipulated the Democratic Primary in Georgia Cynthia McKinney was running in.

And it wasn't a 13 year old hacker kid. It was an adult Mainsoft software engineer that leaked the code.

[mobuto]

14. ???

I'm afraid I don't understand. Which AIPAC supporters are suggesting that the person responsible didn't commit a crime or shouldn't be prosecuted? Are you just making this up?

And it wasn't a 13 year old hacker kid. It was an adult Mainsoft software engineer that leaked the code.

Really? I thought it had yet to be determined how Mainsoft's code got out, with some reason to believe that Mainsoft was hacked.

BTW, computer programmers aren't "software engineers", any more than garbage men are "sanitation engineers".

[mouse7]

17. You seem to need help with multiple subjects here.

from the article...

"According to the various reports, the Mainsoft computer from which the code was leaked is the computer used by Eyal Alalouf, Mainsoft's director of technology, who has so far maintained media silence and is refusing to respond."

They've tracked the leak to the exact desk and computer used. Ooops.

Mobuto said, "I'm afraid I don't understand. Which AIPAC supporters are suggesting that the person responsible didn't commit a crime or shouldn't be prosecuted? Are you just making this up?"

No... I said that every time Israel is even mentioned in passing in the press, the AIPAC supporters show up to disrupt the discussion.
In this case, the mere mention of the geographic location of the Mainsoft office brought out that (paraphrased)"So now you're blaming Israel for this" response.

Mobuto said, "BTW, computer programmers aren't "software engineers", any more than garbage men are "sanitation engineers"."

Any field that needs math beyond calculus qualifies as engineering as far as the vast majority of the population is concerned. We're not talking about web design or script kiddies here. we're talking about operating system code, which is several order higher in difficulty. If you don't want to take my word for it, maybe you'll take the word of some others...

"MIT Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
EECS Graduate Program

Welcome to the MIT EECS Graduate Program home page.
The graduate office is located in Room 38-444 on the fourth
floor of Building 38 at 50 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139.

Graduate Degree Programs
The department offers four graduate degree programs:

Master of Science (SM), required of students pursuing a doctoral degree
Master of Engineering (MEng), for MIT EECS undergraduates only
Electrical Engineer (EE)/Engineer in Computer Science (ECS)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)/Doctor of Science (ScD), awarded interchangeably

http://www.eecs.mit.edu/grad/index.html

Or this from the University of Michigan School of Engineering...

Graduate Program

The EECS Department currently offers MS, MSE, and Ph.D. degrees in the following three programs (through the Rackham Graduate School):
Computer Science & Engineering
(Hardware, Intelligent Systems, Software, Theory, VLSI)

Electrical Engineering
(Electromagnetics, VLSI, Solid State, Optics, Circuits & Microsystems)

Master of Engineering in Integrated Microsystems Degree Program
(with Distance Education Option also available)

Electrical Engineering: Systems
(Control, Communications, Signal Processing)

http://www.eecs.umich.edu/eecs/graduate.html

I know a bit more about the UM Computer Engineering program since my brother graduated from it.

So if you don't like people in that field being called software engineers, yell at MIT and U. Mich. I'm sure they'll be terribly concerned about your criticism.

[mobuto]

20. Uh

"According to the various reports, the Mainsoft computer from which the code was leaked is the computer used by Eyal Alalouf, Mainsoft's director of technology, who has so far maintained media silence and is refusing to respond."

I'm assuming you've eliminated the possibility that someone else might have gained access to Mr. Alalouf's computer? Is he guilty? Possibly. But the evidence isn't in yet.

No... I said that every time Israel is even mentioned in passing in the press, the AIPAC supporters show up to disrupt the discussion

And everytime Israel is even mentioned in passing in the press, PLO supporters show up to disrupt the discussion. Mightn't the problem lie in the extremely polarized nature of the debate?

Any field that needs math beyond calculus qualifies as engineering as far as the vast majority of the population is concerned.

??? Economometrics can require higher math, yet it isn't "engineering." Astronomy requires higher math, yet isn't "engineering." Meteorology requires higher math, yet isn't "engineering." One appends "engineer" to their job description in order to sound more important than they are. Computer science is a real discipline - but it isn't engineering.

[Occulus]

24. That's.... just silliness.

"Computer science is a real discipline - but it isn't engineering."

When you write a program, you are actually directing a machine- in this case, a computer's CPU- to perform certain instructions consistently. An entire operating system quite clearly qualifies as a machine itself in that sense.

'Software Engineer' is definitely a legitimate title when you're talking about programming. It's also definitely engineering, but with the added complexity that the machine can and indeed must change over time. Computers programmers are just as good at and have just as difficult a job as any engineer of mechanical and/or electrical systems.

[mouse7]

26. Show me WTF the PLO has to do with a software leak?

Mobuto said, "And everytime Israel is even mentioned in passing in the press, PLO supporters show up to disrupt the discussion. Mightn't the problem lie in the extremely polarized nature of the debate?"

What in the hell does the PLO have to do with anything being discussed here?

I see a Microsoft. I see a leak of source code. I see an office in Israel being traced down as the source of the leak.

Tell me where ANYBODY said a word about the PLO?

How can the geograpic location of a hack job be "extremely polarized?"

Mobuto said, "??? Economometrics can require higher math, yet it isn't "engineering." Astronomy requires higher math, yet isn't "engineering." Meteorology requires higher math, yet isn't "engineering." One appends "engineer" to their job description in order to sound more important than they are. Computer science is a real discipline - but it isn't engineering.:"

MIT has a PhD software engineering program. U. Michigan has a PhD software engineering program. So do a bunch of other schools. I included the links for MIT and Michigan above. Bitch at them if you don't like the term Software engineer. I'll take the expert word of MIT and Michigan over the amatuer opinion of Mobuto. Maybe calling programmers software engineers is a PLO plot, too?

Mobuto said, "I'm assuming you've eliminated the possibility that someone else might have gained access to Mr. Alalouf's computer? Is he guilty? Possibly. But the evidence isn't in yet."

Whether or not anyone else had access is to the computer is meaningless in the discussion about where the geographic location of the leak originated. The leak came from that computer in that office in Israel. That's all that has been said in the thread. The leak came from that computer in Israel, and the person who's desk it sits on hasn't commented.

[Lurking Dem]

10. The leak

didn't come from Israel. The leak came from Mainsoft. That's a company. The company should be investigated and held liable for any wrongdoing.

And "AIPAC crowd"? Really.

[mouse7]

11. The leak came from the Mainsoft office in ISRAEL

I agree that the leaker and the company should be held liable. Now, we'll see if the Israeli Goverment agrees. The State of Israel will be the country who determines whether anyone will be the where this comes to trial.

[mouse7]

13. I suppose you're gonna deny the existance of AIPAC now, huh?

It's no further a stretch than ignoring the geographic location of the leak of the Israeli offices of Mainsoft being Israel.

[mobuto]

15. What does the location have to do with anything?

That's the question. AIPAC lobbies on behalf of US aid and support for the Israeli government. Why would you suggest they'd care one way or the other about an instance of theft of intellectual property? That's not what they do.

[mouse7]

18. AIPAC gets worked up over EVERYTHING with word Israel in it

That's their method of operation. Crush anything that smells like one day it might potentailly suggest something somehow critical of Israel.

You'll have to ask AIPAC why they operate that way, but they do. All it took was for the word "Israel" to get mentioned in a story and it started in this thread.

[Lurking Dem]

19. Yeah I'm an AIPAC member.

Been a member of the Worldwide Jewish Conspiracy since 1962.

I only started posting on DU shortly after the Supreme Court selected Bush in order to get a high post count and fly under the radar as long as I could so I could post things like Israel Can Do No Wrong and I Love the Likud!

I wish you would spew bile somewhere else.

[mouse7]

22. It's "spewing bile" to point out the geographic location of leak?

That's all anyone did. Point out the geographic location of the Mainsoft office from which the leak originated.

It's you who have taken that basic statement of fact and, morphed it a high drama of anti-Jewish conspiracy, Lurking Dem.

The leak originated in Israel. AIPAC supporters see the word "Isreal" mentioned in any context and just go freakin' berserk with insane accusations.

[Lurking Dem]

25. Bile

It is not me who made a point of the geographic location being of more importance than the company who may be responsible.

It was not suggested that the company be raided but the nation of Israel.

It was you who suggested that some conspiracy existed whereby AIPAC gives a fucking rat's ass about anything posted on a fucking message board. THAT is an insane accusation.

Like any other nation on earth, Israel has criminals. If a person or company in Israel does something criminal, the reaction here is to blame Israel.

Then the blame carries to AIPAC because they are, according to some here, all powerful and running the U.S. government.

Then Jewish posters here are accused, directly or indirectly, of being AIPAC tools.

You can make of that what you will but in my opinion you are in dire need of some self reflection.

[mouse7]

27. Now I need "self-reflection" because the leak happened in Israel?

The company where the location happened is more likely less relevant than the person that did the leaking. The company is innocent until proven guilty of this hack job in the same way the individual whose desk the computer sits on is innocent until proven guilty. Lots of less than legal things are done on company computers with a company's knowledge. The only fact that can be stated for sure is that the origination point is within Israel. The fact that Isreali law will be applied and the investigation will be mostly done by Israeli authorities is the only fact really known at this point. THAT'S why Israel is up higher in the story than the other info.

It's you that took the placement of the word Isreal in a software leak story and turned it into a raging anti-Jewish conspiracy.

I mentioned AIPAC supporters, AIPAC crowd, etc. I did not say AIPAC itself was involved with DU. Bush supporters do a lot of crazy stuff on internet message boards that Bush himself does not do. I don't say Dumbya types out all the freeper posts on freerepublic. I don't say AIPAC types out all the overly rabid hyperdefending of Israel that happens on the net.

Did you see me or anyone else on this thread blame the nation of Israel for theis software hack? Nope. More crazy hyperdefending there.

AIPAC does have too much influence on the US Government, but what does that have to do with a software hack?

There's a whole lot of people that share AIPAC opinions that are rabid hyperdefenders of anything that approches the use of the word Israel. That's not saying they are AIPAC tools. That's saying they are AIPAc supporters. Exactly what the words say in English is exactly what is meant to be said.

What need to be reflected on is how you took the mention of Isreal as the geographic location of a leak and turned it into a "bile-spewing, anti-Jewish conspracy" flame thread.

[mobuto]

21. LOL

Yes. One of the Elders of Zion phoned me personally to alert me of this thread. We must crush dissent and freethought wherever and whenever it manifests itself.

[mouse7]

23. You're turning geographic location of leak into flame war, not me.

The article pointed out the Microsoft source code leak came from Israel, and the thread gets lit up like a Christmas tree with people saying the entire nation of Israel is being damned, that people are spewing bile, that entire fields of engineering don't exist...

All to distract from the geographic location of the leak of the source code. The Israeli office of Mainsoft.

Now... when people get THIS bent out of shape over a silly little fact like the origination point of a hack job, why do YOU think people start openly wondering about all the other stuff?

There is a segment of the population that supports Israel that is just WAY TOO HYPERSENSITIVE of any potentially negative mention of the word Israel. It doesn't matter how fleeting the mention of the word Isreal is. It doesn't matter how relatively unimportant to the actual story it is. The mention of the word "Isreal" is any negative light, no matter how slight, is brings out the overly-rabid defenders of Isreal, and they go berserk all over the discussion.

[mouse7]

28. Mainsoft is not a country. Israel is the geographic country of origin. n/t

[The Sushi Bandit]

16. With all my years in S/W development I would never let code go to Isreal

Too many companies there have no respect to your legal rights to code. It is also a "Gateway" to Russian developers who have no problem with stealing your code and selling it. The courts will not help you (as a developer) as they will only protect their nationals.

I'm sorry to say this but it is the truth!

Ask any serious player in the video game industry and they will tell you the same thing.

[loudnclear]

29. Amen to that!

eom

[The Sushi Bandit]

30. The Russian connection has hurt a few developers

I have seen games that went for internatonal localization in Isreal being sold on the black market weeks before their actual publishing.

[w4rma]

31. Looks like M$ lost **alot** of money via their outsourcing.

No loyalty.