Microsoft Windows Hacked, Source Code Leaked Online, Investigation Starts
According to The Verge‘s Tom Warren, Microsoft created a Windows XP theme back in 2000 that, by the looks of it, was based on Apple’s Aqua interface for the Mac.
It has been years since Microsoft ended support for Windows XP. A thread seen on Twitter says that the source code of Windows XP has leaked.
Somebody released the source code of the operating system on Mega, 4Chan, and other platforms. People have been regularly asking Microsoft to release the source code for years. Getting access to the source code would let consumers create their version of it. For years, Microsoft did not officially release it.
Read Also: Top 10 Tools mostly used by Black Hat Hackers
While Windows XP has been virtually extinct for quite some time now, it still manages to make for some interesting headlines every now and then. The newly discovered theme appears to be incomplete, but the Start button and other skinned UI elements clearly resemble Apple’s Aqua UI.
The 42.9GB sized leak contains source code for Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows 2000. The code got posted to a torrent and on the file-sharing service: Mega. A lot of initial reactions to the leak suggested that the leak is official. But there is no official word from Microsoft yet.
- Windows XP
- Windows Server 2003
- MS DOS 3.30
- MS DOS 6.0
- Windows 2000
- Windows CE 3
- Windows CE 4
- Windows CE 5
- Windows Embedded 7
- Windows Embedded CE
- Windows NT 3.5
- Windows NT 4
The code is already being picked apart by enthusiasts, who found all kinds of goodies, including old Windows XP themes.
Even though Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 are very old operating systems, complete source code leak of them is a huge security concern because even modern OS like Windows 10 will have several source code files that are untouched from Windows XP days. Hackers can go through the old source code and find bugs to exploit them on Windows 10.
Read Also: Google Pixel 5 Leaked Specifications
It is not the first time that these Microsoft files are released online. 1GB worth of Windows 10 related source code leaked a few years ago. Files related to Microsoft’s USB, storage, and Wi-Fi drivers in Windows 10 got posted to Beta Archive. We also saw a few Xbox-related source code leaks this year. Earlier in May, Original Xbox and Windows NT 3.5 source code appeared online. The graphics source code of Xbox Series X also got stolen and leaked online in March.
The leak doesn’t present any direct danger to Windows XP users. The OS is fairly old, and the idea of lurking behind these old operating systems doesn’t seem likely. Financially, older operating systems do not make an attractive target for hackers.
0 Comments