Microsoft Partners Assess Fallout from Code Leak

With security experts busily downloading, peering at, and analyzing leaked source code, the industry is still buzzing with controversy over last weeks Windows security breach. But what about the impact of the leak on Microsofts relationships with channel partners? Will Microsoft still be able to trust its partners, and vice versa? Will application security be harmed, or possibly ultimately helped? Opinions range all over the map.

Now, a security researcher nicknamed GTA has posted a comment to an Internet newsgroup, claiming that hes discovered the first security exploit based on the leaked code.

“People are gobbling up the code in the newsgroups,” noted Jay Jacobsen, an independent security consultant who is also an anonymous participant in newsgroups. “Over 50,000 source code files were leaked. I dont know what the percentage is, in terms of Microsofts total source code, but thats a whole lot of code,” he added.

Jacobsen, who is CEO of Edgeos, Inc., also predicted that Microsoft might find it tougher to trust its partners, now that MainSoft has been implicated in the code heist. “Many of Microsofts fans tend to be very loyal. The breach is more likely to cause a lack of trust on Microsofts part than the other way around.”