Cyber Security Agents Arrest Man Who Sold Code
Coca Cola has its secret formula and Microsoft has its code, and one of the central tenants of the software giant's cyber security policy is protecting that code from being stolen. Recently, a Connecticut man pleaded guilty to doing just that.
William Genovese Jr., 28, of Meriden, Connecticut was known only on the Internet as "illwill." He pleaded guilty in a Manhattan federal court to charges relating to the theft of the source code to Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating software. According to Beta News, an undercover FBI agent and a paid Microsoft investigator were able to successfully purchase and download the code from a website operated by Genovese.
Cyber Security Jobs Track Down Thieves
The source code in question was for Microsoft's Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0. According to cyber security agents, the code had previously been stolen and unlawfully distributed over the Internet.
Cyber security jobs often revolve around keeping propriety information, especially source code, on company servers. Computer internet security experts closely track who has access to the information and what is being sold on websites that specialize in selling or trading stolen software.
Cyber Security Can Convict
For his part, Genovese says he's just a scapegoat, taking the rap instead of the people who actually stole the code from Microsoft and who are still at large. Genovese faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced.
Officials are careful to point out that cyber security threats aren't just against propriety information. Computer internet security experts say that armed with source code, hackers and virus creators can come up with the perfect Trojan horse to break in to networks and destroy them. Windows, after all, is still by far the world's most popular computer operating system.
