Hackers infiltrate Microsoft's network |
October 27, 2000___________________________________________________________ By Michael J. Martinez The Associated Press October 27, 2000 9:13 a.m. CDT SEATTLE (AP) -- Hackers broke into Microsoft Corp.'s computer network and may have stolen blueprints to the latest versions of the company's Windows and Office software. Microsoft confirmed the electronic break-in late Thursday night and said it was working with law enforcement to investigate. Microsoft spokesman Rick Miller would not confirm whether the hackers may have accessed any of Microsoft's source code, the blueprints for such products as the Windows operating system. "We're still looking into it. We're still trying to figure out how it happened," Miller said. "This is a deplorable act of industrial espionage and we will work to protect our intellectual property." Miller said there was no evidence that any source code for Windows or other commercial software made by Microsoft had been modified or corrupted since the company's computer system had been broken into. The break-in was discovered Wednesday by the software giant's security employees, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the story, citing people familiar with the situation. Security employees discovered that passwords used to transfer the source code behind Microsoft's software were being sent from the company's computer network in Redmond, Wash., to an e-mail account in St. Petersburg, Russia, the Journal reported. The identities of the hackers are unknown. They are believed to have had access to the software codes for three months. A person familiar with the break-in told the Journal that it appeared the hackers accessed Microsoft's system by e-mailing software, called QAZ Trojan, to the company's network and then opening a so-called back door through the infected computer. In hacking terms, a "trojan" is quite similar to the Trojan Horse of Greek mythology. It looks like a normal attachment in an e-mail, such as a Word document or picture, but contains a hidden code that can, in effect, take limited control of the recipient's computer. Once inside, the hacker software can be used to deliver passwords from one computer to another or even destroy files. Microsoft is making sure the hackers cannot use the stolen source code to change commercial software used by businesses, governments and consumers. The risk is said to be remote. Microsoft was planning to investigate the break-in without help from law enforcement authorities, the Journal reported, but the company contacted the FBI on Thursday. The FBI declined comment when contacted early today by The Associated Press. Copyright 2000 The Associated Press |