Windows 2000 and NT code leaked to internet

If you're working from one of these platforms, you may want to monitor the MS site for security updates (one security upgrade made available last week was rated "critical"). The BBC reports this news:

The company [Microsoft] could not immediately pinpoint the source of leak, and has contacted law enforcement authorities.

It is thought to comprise parts of the source code for Windows 2000 and Windows NT.

[Microsoft spokesman] Mr Pilla said there was no indication the code leak was a result of a breach of Microsoft's corporate network.

There was no known immediate impact to Microsoft customers, he said.

One concern is that it is hackers interested in gaining access to (or just creating problems for) Microsoft and its customers. A more worrisome concern for Microsoft, however, is that it isn't vandalism but surveillance work:

the other threat to Microsoft is the fact that such access could provide a competitive edge to its rivals, who would gain a much better understanding of the inner workings of Microsoft's technology.