Microsoft Hacked

Someone broke into Microsoft’s network and accessed the basic codes for the company’s latest software, Microsoft president Steve Ballmer said today. <BR> “They did in fact access the source codes,” Ballmer said from Stockholm, Sweden. “You bet this is an issue of great importance. I can also assure you that we know that there has been no compromise of the integrity of the source codes, that it has not been tampered with in any way.” <BR> But malicious hackers don’t need to tamper with the source codes to use them to create destructive software, experts said. (The source code is the basic blueprint of a piece of software, allowing programmers to disassemble it and use its parts elsewhere.) <BR> Owners of current Microsoft products have nothing to worry about, but the break-in may make future products more vulnerable to attacks. <BR> “The hacker appears to have obtained some source code for the development of future products,” Microsoft spokesman Rick Miller said. <BR> <BR>A Reuters report said that Microsoft President and Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said the break-in "was not very damaging." Speaking from a Stockholm Internet conference, Balmer also asserted the hackers had not obtained access to any key programs. He added that the company called in the FBI as soon as the break-in was detected. <BR> <BR><A HREF="http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/tech/DailyNews/microsoft_hacked001027.html" target=new>Read More</A>