Kaspersky Source Code In the Wild

mvar writes "The source code of an older version of 'Kaspersky Internet Security' has been circulated on the internet. The code was created in late 2007 and was probably stolen in early 2008. Names contained in the source indicate that the stolen code was probably a beta version of the 2008 software package – the current release is Kaspersky Internet Security 2011. According to a Russian language report by CNews (Google translation), the code was copied by a disgruntled ex-employee. The thief has reportedly been trying to sell the code on the black market for some time, and Kaspersky says that the code archive already appeared in various private forums last November."

Comments

Re:And, in other news...

[hairyfeet]

Actually MSFT releasing the Win9X source would be WONDERFUL news, because if you haven't tried it Win9X can make a great embedded OS with better driver support and lower specs than pretty much any embedded OS out there.

And as for why anyone would care about TFA, that's simple: Often you don't "throw the baby out with the bathwater" and significant portions of the code will be reused. This means the black hats pretty much have a roadmap to use to trash Kaspersky AV. Even if they didn't use much of the previous code it most likely will allow them to see how the Kaspersky AV team treats PC resources like memory, giving them a good idea of where the weak spots are. Bad news for Kaspersky users I'd say.