No, not the memory leaks that cause Windows to crash randomly.  The source code that was leaked onto the internet.  Some “so-called” experts are warning of doom.  Now that hackers (which is the wrong term, it should be crackers) have the code, they will be able to exploit Windows and cause all kinds of damage.

Uhm… er… Huh?  Think about this for a moment.  Why would having the source code make one bit of different?  Think about the last year or two.  How many viruses and worms targeted at Windows have been released?  A lot.

Another point.  The source code to Linux and BSD (Unix) are readily available for anyone who wishes to download the files.  Where are the headlines of doom because of the exposed exploits?

Windows is so poorly designed from a security perspective that any idiot can toss together a worm without any special knowlege.  The availability of the source code won’t make one bit of difference to the script kiddies.  In fact, most of them probably don’t have the expertise required to analyze source code for security faults.

A more likely scenario is some skilled coders will look at the code and issue warnings of potential problems.  Typically this is done directly to the software company without making a public announcement.  Unfortunately, Microsoft has a nasty habit of ignoring these types of warning until the information is released publicly, forcing them to act.  This is typically followed by whining from Microsoft talking-head of, “it’s not fair!”

This entry was posted on Friday, February 13th, 2004 at 11:01 pm and is filed under Geek Stuff. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.