Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft Pressures Testers After Software Leak
narramissic writes "ITworld reports that Microsoft is 'taking tough measures to find out who leaked a Community Technology Preview (CTP) of Windows Home Server to The Hotfix.net blog.' The software preview was posted on the site by a user named 'Richard' soon after it was released to a small group of testers. In an e-mail to MVPs whose names contain 'Richard,' Kevin Beares, the Windows Home Server community lead at Microsoft, wrote: 'For right now, you have no access to the beta until I can find the Richard who posted the WHS (Windows Home Server) CTP on this site.... I will work with the Connect Admin team to determine which one of you is the real culprit of this leak.'"
If this was Apple we would get many posts defending their right and need to do this. Since it is MS we won't. -Larry
foreach (Tester ReallyUnluckyGuy in GetTestersByName("Richard"))
{
ReallyUnluckyGuy.DenyAccess(Now);
ReallyUnluckyGuy.AskQuestions(Later);
}
The leaker was arrogant/foolish enough to use his real name.
:)
Probably, at least. Granted, you'd think he was just being a Richard and it needn't have anything to do with his name, but think about--someone leaked MS's follow-up email to people named Richard. Might it have been the Richard we're looking for?
...the whole class being kept behind at school until they found the culprit.
"Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
"The software preview was posted on the site by a user named 'Richard' soon after it was released to a small group of testers."
I'd think that Microsoft's bigger question whether someone this dimwitted should allowed to work with their code. Why would I not be surprised if "Richard" really was the guy's name. Talk about poor judgment.
Three Squirrels
...for leaking the letter too.
Translation, "Are you the Dick who leaked?"
[
Sheesh,
this is about as well-thought out as the no-fly list "algorithm". Well, Abdul looks a bit like Andrew so you're a suspect, eh?
If they didn't watermark, or put some other individual identifying marks in each of the CTPs handed out, then they have no clue who leaked it, and punishing the innocent is not going to improve their chances.
Dear Slashdot,
Thankyou for agreeing to help publicize our new products by spreading information about our phoney leak. You have my personal assurance that if we ever find this "Richard" character, I will be certain to punish him very severely for creating public awareness of our super-innovative new server software. Gosh, I do hope no-one downloads a pirate version and sees how awesome it is!
Also, thanks for your good work on the Xbox 360. Who would have thought so many Linux dorks would be willing to buy into our wall-to-wall DRM and platform lockin?
-- Bill Gates
(This is a private email, right? IE is doing something strange....)
Oh...
And I wonder why Kevin Beares thinks it was a Richard who leaked this. If I was doing such a thing, especially when there are only a small group of testers, I would use a pseudonym. Richard is as good a one as any other.
Also, I wonder how he thinks he can work it out? Contacting the ISPs perhaps? (From the article it seems as if the webmaster for the site where the leak was posted will help.) I'm sure all the testers will deny being "Richard" of leaking fame.
This whole thing seems like a big beat up.
I wank in the shower.
That has to be the most rediculous thing I've ever heard - it sounds like a thing a pre-school teacher would do; find some graffiti with a name on it and punish those with the same name. Imagine if the leaker used the name "Bill", would they have cut of all communication to the boss?
Want a Windows Home Server? Load a copy of Linux/*BSD and Samba on to a spare PC. There you go, all the power of a basic domain without all the costs associated with an M$ product.
He's right.....
Three Squirrels
"He said that Microsoft has "spies" in the forums on the Hotfix.net in an attempt to find out who is leaking software previews on his site. Microsoft also asked him to provide the names of who is leaking Microsoft files to his site, but he said he declined to do so."
Imagine that, MS spying on forums and trying to find leakers. They may want to put a call into the White House about the whole spy thing to get some help.
I lost my sig...
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Alright, who's the Dick who did this?!?
This guy's the limit!
The next time this guy decides to leak something under a false name I suggest he try 'Bill' instead of 'Richard'.
Bill
OK, get me if I am wrong here but the testers were working for free, correct. If MS (or any other company for that matter, even Apple), does not want to pay for work, then they take their chances. If they want testers that will follow their rules, they should pay the testers then. Very simple concept.
Could it be Richard Stallman in the conservatory with the wrench?
Which one of you Bills is abusing your monopoly?
Did anyone stop to think that one of the "MVPs" "home machine" was hacked and someone else had full control over the contents of the machine when this software was downloaded, or that someone just left a share open on there PC at work and someone else copied it? I mean come on, Microsoft people are not known to be the most secure people in the world...
The leaker was arrogant/foolish enough to use his real name.
This is supposing a lot. I for one, would probably use the name of somebody I didn't like. Maybe something like Steve, or Bill. But that might be a little obvious, no?
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
Microsoft is being run by the Bush administration!
That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
Did they ever stop to consider the fact that besides these testers, undoubtedly lots of people on the inside will have had access to the leaked version?
GAAH! MY PRINTER IS ON FIRE!!! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT!
Or keying the teachers car with the initials of the jerk you don't like in your class. Gotcha ya pocker, 3 months detention and 200 repair bill. Seriously if I wanted to pock over some dood at work I'd frame him with a leak.
The rock, the vulture, and the chain
But doesn't all MS software leak?
(Thank you, I'll be here all week)
Are they absolutely certain that the guy's name actually is Richard and he didn't just make up the name to throw MS off the scent?
Technoli
Anyone have a torrent of this so called leak?
Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
likely it would have been a specific build for the testers only that was leaked.
Insiders doing it would probably have access to a great many test builds, not just the one sent to the externals. However insiders would also have fabulously well paid jobs and severe contractual penalties for doing something this stupid. Not the kind of people likely to risk all for a leaked test build.
Besides, what would be the career consequences for someone being denounced by Microsoft for doing a thing like that? The closed source OS world, Microsoft in particular, are not forgiving of such things. Never working in the field again would spring to mind.
I'd go for someone being over confident about security and letting another person steal it by neglect, rather than intentionally.
If by some bizarre chance is was deliberate, then they're so stupid they need to be culled from the industry anyway.
"Dick leaks, causes embarassment."
That's not really front page news now, is it?
... because we all know that everyone uses thier real name when online.. Especially when revealing company secrets.
God Be Gone
Yeah. I like to troll on Saturday mornings, too.
Wouldn't it be funny if all of them contacted MS, claiming to be this Richard?
Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
Microsoft Pressures Testers After Software Leak
When I first saw the topic, I've imagined that microsoft is involved with piping at oil industry, where "pressure test" is a procedure to find the leakage.
-- Hasbullah bin Pit (sebol)
I hate to break it to you, MS, but the higher-end linksys routers (for about $100) now have a usb port where I can stick a hard drive and share it with all the network even if I'm not real computer literate. Likewise, the airport extreme from apple does the same.
I'm not sure what all your "home server" does, but coming from you it probably uses far more hardware than most people want to buy for the purpose and it probably locks me into using one of your buggy, insecure operating systems to access it. Put another way, you're going to have a tough time convincing people who want to have a hard drive shared on the network (probably 99.99% of all people who would want a "server" in the house) to go with your buggy crap rather than the linksys router.
I might be wrong, and laugh at me in 10 years if I am, but I really think you guys are getting in a huff because someone leaked your latest "Microsoft Bob" to the world.
By the way, the people who downloaded it probably didn't do so to use it; it was probably most hackers getting their paws on it to figure out how to break into it.
Do you have ESP?
So lucky for Microsoft that the leak wasn't posted by somebody with username "Bill".
Paid Q&A/Research
For right now, you have no access to the beta until I can find the Richard who posted the WHS (Windows Home Server) CTP on this site.... I will work with the Connect Admin team to determine which one of you is the real culprit of this leak.'
It's great to know that a corporation always has plenty of funds for a witch-hunt even if product security is sacrificed due to "budget constraints"...
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
If this was Apple, we would get a bunch of people bitching about Apple's secrecy, like we always do. Kudos on the "I'm pointing out Slashdot double standards, mod me up!" karma whore routine, though. It's a worthy classic.
And you're wrong, there will be plenty of Microsoft shills defending Microsoft.
"Sufferin' succotash."
You'll be that Dick, I mean, that Richard? I wouldn't..
:-P
home
I wasn't aware it was my right to leak software that I had signed an NDA not to leak. Thanks for clarifying, Slashdot!
It sucks to be Dick.
Unless this person was exceptionally stupid and brags about it, they are home free. Their ISP will *not* release the information.
Of course, this does bring out that simply having someone sign an NDA in today's climate means nothing. If you release a product to beta testers, they are going to feel free to distribute it to potential competitors worldwide without any fear of retribution. Why? Because it can be done and it isn't going to be traceable.
I suppose you could watermark each copy that is distributed. It would be a hassle to do and still probably not really mean all that much. Yes, you might then be able to visit some kind of retribution on the person that did it. Do you really think they are going to care? I think most people these days would regard having letters sent to their employer from Microsoft as sort of a merit badge of achievement, even if it got them fired.
Any sort of anonyminity will result in this kind of behavior. Most people - not everyone, but most - will do things they would never consider doing if they believe their actions cannot be traced back to them. Would you rob a bank or steal someone's wallet? Most people would not. Would you pick up a wallet in an alley that was clearly abandoned and take whatever was inside? Most people would if they were sure nobody would see them. Nobody sees you on the Internet, and the ISPs believe they have an interest in keeping users isolated from consequences of their actions.
... use the name 'Bill'.
Windows Home Server is not secret, it's totally open, it's called Linux.
Someone posts illegally software to a blog using the name Richard and Microsoft believes s/he used his/her real one, then they lock all Richards from access to betas? Wow! That brilliant solution should be in every corporate security how-not-to handbook for dummies!
At least they should have tracked silently every user who had this access and THEN, after further investigation, take conclusions and measures.
Thanks Microsoft, this is just another argument for Linux/BSD/*nix enthusiasts like us.
On a side note: Windows Home Server? You mean I have to pay a license to put my personal data into some totally closed and untrusted piece of software that phones home giving full access to all my files to Microsoft and its government puppies? Thanks, but no thanks.
That was my first reaction.
Msft: Who leaked this onto a newsgroup?
Lackey: The username on the account was "Richard."
Msft: Richard who?
Lackey: We don't know. The account name is just "Richard."
Msft: Suspend all priveledges to anyone with a "Richard" in their name!
Lackey: Sir, yes sir!
Msft: Man, this Richard guy is a real dick.
Lackey: *snickers*
Msft: What?
Well, what can we say?
The typical Microsoft=Evil bash aside, their response was rather understandable and logical. They have beta-software, and they have low number of people who a previewing/testing that software. That software ends up leaked on the internet. Thus the only logical conclusion is that (at least) one of those people is responsible for the leak.
Assuming that leaks is not what you want and that somebody who leaked software before, will do so again, it is best to freeze the entire process until the one(s) responsible has been found. Also assuming that they accepted a NDA (the usual stuff forfeiting your propery, soul, and firstborn) this one guy or gal will not be in a happy place.
So, all in all, its nothing extraordinary.
+++ MELON MELON MELON +++ Out of Cheese Error +++ redo from start +++
I am not sure why Microsoft thinks we need personal server software. That's software that takes all our files and makes them available on the internet, right? I think I get a dozen of those e-mailed to me every day. They are usualy from my "Support Team" with titles like "Worm Activity Detected!" Heck I bet most Windows users have one or two of thoses programs running right now.
Community Technology Preview (CTP), ok WHS (Windows Home Server), not ok
Is his name Richard?
Based on the little that is known, the most obvious explanation is that this leak was intended to be discovered (there's no shortage of far more public sites that would offer far greater protection to the person involved) and that in turn makes the idea that an actual "Richard" was involved much less likely.
We won't know until the culprit is found (if they ever are, and if we ever have any reason to believe that anyone unmasked isn't simply a convenient scapegoat) but if I were in this Kevin's shoes, I'd be far more interested in gathering information than issuing threats. For that matter, Mandatory Access Controls have existed for decades. Why was such valuable IP even placed under a discretionary access control system?
(For those not familiar with MAC, it's a concept popularized by the US military but widely used in any secure environment. The idea is that the controls prohibit a user from copying to a location with weaker controls. In the military, you don't want people copying Top Secret files into an unclassified filespace or reassigning them to a user of lower classification, for example. So you simply program the access controls to block any such transfer. Properly implemented, there is no "superuser" - no need of one - and there is no possible way of violating permission boundaries directly or through privilege escalation.)
Yes, this is theft. So would be taking a hundred dollar bill nailed to the gatepost. At some point, a little personal responsibility is called for and a few reasonable precautions should be taken. Kevin Beares' bosses should be asking why neither has happened here - although that might be asking a bit much of Microsoft. Failure to secure trade secrets has, in the past, been grounds for courts to nullify the protections on those trade secrets, and undue harassment by employers of employees has spawned its own lawsuits. (If a Richard isn't found soon, with definite blood on hands, harassment suits can't be far behind.)
This is a very ugly situation for Microsoft to be in and they are hardly an innocent party as they have clearly shown they are not using suitable methods to protect that which is theirs. In a world that has been manipulated into believing there's a bogeyman hiding in every server cupboard, being able to protect your own is key to keeping the confidence of customers. The rights and wrongs are totally a side issue in all of this. The fact it was even possible is everything.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
I for one, applaud Kevin and WSSG for taking action to plug leaks...
'Richard' must not have read the WHS EULA
That's because Apple actually has a need to do this: Apple has managed to create a mystique surrounding their product releases. Microsoft revealing a new product is about as exciting as the supreme court justices taking off their robes.
Why is Microsoft even putting a lot of work into WHS? Most people have already moved onto DWD. :P
Carbon based humanoid in training.
Should have posted it under the username SteveBallmer
+5, Truth
Only from Apple fanboys. Believe it or not, some people have no particular loyalty to them, and no problem calling a spade a spade.
Don't get me wrong, I understand why Microsoft is doing this. I don't much care, but I do understand.
Wonderful. All we need are even more boxes, running Microsoft "spambot-ready" software, administered by people with no clue how to really protect a system.
Nothing like thousands or millions of always-on bots, filtering keystrokes, launching DDOS attacks, spamming everyone in any e-mail to/from list that happens to pass through.
I for one do not welcome our new incompetent spam-bot non-administrator overlords.
Dark Helmet: Careful you idiot! I said across her nose, not up it!
Laser Gunner: Sorry sir! I'm doing my best!
Dark Helmet: Who made that man a gunner?
Major Asshole: I did sir. He's my cousin.
Dark Helmet: Who is he?
Colonel Sandurz: He's an asshole sir.
Dark Helmet: I know that! What's his name?
Colonel Sandurz: That is his name sir. Asshole, Major Asshole!
Dark Helmet: And his cousin?
Colonel Sandurz: He's an asshole too sir. Gunner's mate First Class Philip Asshole!
Dark Helmet: How many asholes do we have on this ship, anyway?
[Entire bridge crew stands up and raises a hand]
Entire Bridge Crew: Yo!
Dark Helmet: I knew it. I'm surrounded by assholes!
[Dark Helmet pulls his face shield down]
Dark Helmet: Keep firing, assholes!
http://www.rense.com/general79/wdx1.htm
hmmm...maybe it was Richard's ex-girlfriend mcay
Do you do lots of sailing on your pocking planet? More importantly did you bring your pocking wrench....
Microsoft will get their hands on the leaky Dick any minute now. Their only hope is to come clean before then.
>>For right now, you have no access to the beta until I can find the Richard who posted the WHS (Windows Home Server) CTP on this site...
all beta testers for WHS should maintain solidarity with the N-1 wrongfully (and stupidly) abused "Richard" testers and tell MS: For right now, you have no beta program for WHS until you stop being dicks with your Dicks.
Microsoft's special ops are probably hunting down every man named "dick"
leak something that's community technology?
It's not private technology..
Quick, somebody get a username steve_ballmer and upload it. bill_gates, too.
Cute. So my nick is Mondor. And if I would be fan of Richard Plantagenet the LionHeart, it would be Richard. And being fan of Roger Zelazni it would be, say, Corwin or Merlin... :)
I already imagine M$ digging its user system for all LionHearts and Corwins. You see, their authentication system is based on e-mail address and password, and you are free to input whatever name you want, it doesn't have to be real. But anyway, being fan of king Richard I wouldn't put his name as my real name anyway.
But I don't question the logic of Microsoft - I don't even believe such thing exists.
Money is the root of all evil?