Ex Microsoft staffer arrested for allegedly stealing Win 8 trade secrets

[steve2470]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57620609-75/ex-microsoft-staffer-arrested-for-allegedly-stealing-win-8-trade-secrets/

Alex Kibkalo, a former senior architect at Microsoft who most recently served as a director of product management in 5nine Software (according to his LinkedIn profile), has been arrested for allegedly stealing Windows-related trade secrets while working for Microsoft.

Kibkalo was arrested on Wednesday, according to a report in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

According to a complaint filed on March 17 in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington, Kibkalo -- a Russian national and former Microsoft employee based in Lebanon -- passed on trade secrets involving Windows 8 to an unnamed technology blogger in France.

Microsoft's own investigation found that Kibkalo "uploaded proprietary software including prerelease software updates for Windows 8 RT and ARM devices, as well as the Microsoft Activation Server Software Development Kit (SDK) to a computer in Redmond, Washington, and subsequently to his personal Windows Live SkyDrive account." Kibkalo is then said to have provided the blogger with links to the file on his account.

[Orrex]

1. His punishment will include having to use Windows 8

[Oilwellian]

15. LOL...I was gonna say...

Why ruin your life for Windows 8? How sad.

[LisaL]

2. Somebody actually wants those?

[hobbit709]

7. Beat me to it.

[gordianot]

3. He could also have the NSA trap door bypassing all Windows 8 security features.

I figure every National Intelligence Agency on the planet has the same capability as soon as every operating system is released.

[PowerToThePeople]

4. It's almost April

Another long term support is about to go live.

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/TrustyTahr/ReleaseSchedule

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily-live/current/

[Nye Bevan]

5. Oh no! Apple would obviously pay millions of dollars to get stuff like that.

Obviously they are desperate to make OSX more Windows-like.

[GoneFishin]

6. It's a small loss. He should just pay the $1.38 restitution.

[ucrdem]

8. Sounds like he was doing his job.

Last I heard MS was "experimenting" with a distribution plan to give away Win 8 for free.

[steve2470]

9. seriously ?

M$ give away an OS for free ?

[ucrdem]

10. Oh yeah.

Just as I predicted a few months ago. The idea is to get it onto inexpensive devices (like $20-range) by making the license free and waiving certification requirements. Which sounds like a recipe for some buggy phones.

[FSogol]

11. Buggy phones? Do you mean phones for the Amish and Mennonites?

[Orrex]

12. LOL. Horse-and-buggy phones.

Love it!

[ucrdem]

13. I think they still use XP.

It's a cultural thing. . .

[eppur_se_muova]

14. More embarrassing than shameful. nt