Theos-Talk Archives (February 2004 Message tt00117)

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "Eldon B Tucker" <eldon@t...> 
wrote:
> It's common for a virus to forge the email header so that it makes 
it look
> like the email came from someone other than the real sender.

In that connection the following, which was sent to me, mught be 
relevant. Basically, the Israelis are at it again. Microsoft 
entrusted them with the source code for the Windows operating system, 
and it has been distributed from Israel to the hacker community, 
which is using the information to compromise computers around the 
world. There is concern in Israel that this may be the last straw. 
There has been such a long series of incdients that I doubt that, but 
it is likely there will be hacker attacks over the next few weeks as 
Bill Gates' back doors and trap doors and other designed in 
vulnerailities are eagerly exploired.

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

Microsoft launches damage control after code leaks from Israeli
source

By Galit Yemini

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.

Just three days after the leak, hackers have already taken advantage
of a security flaw discovered in parts of the code that was leaked to
the Internet, and have created the first virus based on this flaw.
The flaw is in the Explorer browser that is part of Windows.

The storm broke a few days ago, when parts of the source code for
Microsoft's Windows 2000 operating system were leaked to the
Internet. The source code exposes the innards of the operating
system, revealing exactly how it works. Anyone who discovers the
source code can do as he pleases with the operating system. Microsoft
has been making its living for years from the sale of software
licenses; its copyrights to the software are on that valuable source
code - the core of the software.

When Microsoft gives the code to business partners like Mainsoft or
big clients like governments, the code is marked with a
unique "fingerprint" for each client, so that if the code is
accidentally leaked, the source of the leak will be discovered
immediately.

"Microsoft's greatest fear stemming from the leaking of the code is
not a violation of its copyrights," explains Jimmy Schwarzkopf,
research director of Meta-Group (Israel). "This is a problem that
will eventually be solved in court, because they are protected from a
copyright perspective. The problem is the protection against hackers.
Microsoft will find it difficult to protect itself. If the code gets
into the hands of hackers, their ability to create viruses will be
infinite. That is something that will be very hard for Microsoft to
combat."

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.

"This story is causing tremendous harm to the Israeli high-tech
industry," says Schwarzkopf. "If it turns out that the Israelis are
responsible for the leaking of the code, and that it was done
maliciously and not by accident, it will burn a great many Israelis
in the industry. Israelis have a reputation around the world for
cutting corners anyway, and Israelis are working very hard to change
this negative image. If the investigations prove that the suspicions
were correct, it will not be good for us."

Eyal Alalouf