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Microsoft Took 10 Days to Remove Leaked XP Code From its Own SiteAndy Maxwell, 10 Oct 08:07 PM When Microsoft's Windows XP launched in 2001, it was

Microsoft Took 10 Days to Remove Leaked XP Code From its Own Site Andy Maxwell, 10 Oct 08:07 PM When Microsoft's Windows XP launched in 2001, it was somewhat of a revelation. Built on Windows NT and a clear step up from the consumer variants of Windows that preceded it, the OS reigned for years after being installed on millions of machines. It's currently estimated that around 0.8% of Windows PCs are still running Windows XP, despite Microsoft offering zero support for the relatively ancient OS. Nevertheless, there was mild euphoria among coders last month when it was confirmed that the source code for XP, among other things, had been leaked online, presumably to the dismay of Microsoft. Leaked via 4chan, Distributed via Torrents and MEGA For the vast majority of interested onlookers, the leak probably meant very little in practical terms. With no support from Microsoft, running Windows XP is already a security gamble, regardless of any additional leaks. However, when Microsoft confirmed it was actively investigating the leak, some presumed the company would act very quickly to have the code disappeared from the web. Quite when the upload to MEGA was taken down is unclear but it didn't take long for the file to be removed following a complaint. Torrents, of course, are much more complicated. While it is possible to have some torrent sites respond to takedown requests, sites such as The Pirate Bay will happily index pretty much anything – including the source code leak. Predictably, the leaked content is available via the site today and not even the mighty Microsoft can do much about that. However, when checking the hash value in Google search and scouring the DMCA notice archive hosted by Lumen Database, there appears to have been little or even no effort to have links to the source code removed from Google or Twitter. Granted, most of the sites mentioning the content have taken care not to link directly to the leaked source itself, with many preferring to post unclickable but entirely usable magnet links instead. Nevertheless, just days after the leak was reported, a very public repository of the code appeared much closer to home and nothing was done about that either. Source Code Published to Microsoft-Owned Github On September 29, a handful of days after the leak reportedly appeared on 4chan, someone called 'shaswata56' thought it would be a good idea to post the source code for Windows XP on Github, for the world to see and download. The interesting thing here is that Github is owned by Microsoft, so the computing giant was effectively hosting its own leak. Given the presumed sensitive nature of the source code, one might conclude that it would be spotted and deleted quickly. However, despite all the publicity, it took a full 10 days for Microsoft to do anything about it, at which point it had to serve its own company with a DMCA notice requesting that the code be taken down. Takedown Notice to Github "I work in Microsoft Security Incident Response. The code in question is from a Windows XP source code leak," the DMCA notice dated October 8 and filed with Github reads. "The GitHub content is pulled directly form [sic] a torrent (that was also taken down)," it continues. The notice originally contained a hash value for the source but that was censored by Github, presumably to stop any additional infringement. However, archive copies of the now-removed repository show that hash value in full, which can be easily converted to a torrent, one that is very much alive and being shared by many people. Microsoft Not Too Bothered By The Leak? Clearly, Microsoft's claim that the torrent was somehow taken down was incorrect but that's not a huge surprise since once a torrent is being spread, stopping people with access to magnet links or even a hash is incredibly difficult. That being said, it would've been trivial to remove the source from Github on the day it was published. Instead, it took exactly 10 days, a lifetime where leaks are concerned and a little bit embarrassing when it's your own site doing the distribution. Quite why a rapid removal wasn't executed isn't clear but coupled with what appears to be a lack of enthusiasm to remove links still available via Google, it makes one wonder how concerned Microsoft is about the leak after all. Or, just possibly, the company realizes just how futile it all is. The DMCA notice is available here From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more. Pirate Sites Flourish as UK Site Blocking Efforts Die Down, For Now Ernesto Van der Sar, 10 Oct 11:23 AM Website blocking is without a doubt one of the favorite anti-piracy tools of the entertainment industries. The UK has been a leader on this front. Since 2011, the High Court has ordered ISPs to block access to many popular pirate sites. While official numbers are lacking, it's believed that thousands of URLs are currently blocked, targeting sites such as The Pirate Bay, RARBG, Fmovies, NewAlbumReleases, and Team-Xecuter. UK Site Blocking Set an Example The UK approach has set an example for many other countries and has been used to argue in favor of site blocking measures in other regions including Australia and Canada. More recently, the UK example was highlighted in a US Senate hearing, with Hollywood's MPA praising its effectiveness. "Studies in the UK and Australia have shown that this can lead to statistically significant and meaningful increases in legal online consumption. In that respect, the injunctive remedy in the European Union, the UK, Australia, and elsewhere has been decidedly more effective than the endless cycle of DMCA notice sending," MPA's Stan McCoy said. The comment was made to support a new push for 'no-fault' site-blocking injunctions in the US. The MPA speaks from personal experience here, as it was the driving force behind several UK court orders. That said, McCoy's testimony leaves out some important context. Pirate Sites Flourish While the MPA is pushing site blocking in the US, the UK efforts have completely died down. The last blocking request from Hollywood studios dates back roughly years ago. Similarly, there hasn't been any request from record labels since 2013. As a result, new pirate sites, and those that haven't been blocked, were able to grow their audiences without much trouble. And indeed, if we take a look at the 500 most visited sites in the UK, names including Magnetdl, Filmix, Lookmovie, Rutor, and 9anime show up. For a site such as Magnetdl, roughly a quarter of all traffic comes from the UK, where the site isn't blocked. Why No New Requests? This begs the question; if site blocking is so extremely effective in curbing piracy, why aren't there any new requests? We reached out to the MPA's EMEA office, which was kind enough to comment on the matter but didn't offer any answers. "The MPA EMEA is continuing with site blocking across Europe. Site blocking is a legitimate and effective way of halting the spread of online piracy. Piracy affects everyone involved in the creative process – from the songwriters to authors and the makeup artists, a spokesperson informed us "Site blocking builds on years of work, and forms just one pillar of the MPA EMEA's overall enforcement strategy. Online infringement is complex, and there is no single answer to addressing it." Costs Play a Role Reading between the lines it appears that the MPA prefers to focus on other anti-piracy efforts, at least in the UK. This is likely the result of a cost-benefit analysis. Although it wouldn't be hard to apply for new pirate site blockades, these anti-piracy measures come at a cost. Previously, it was estimated that an unopposed application for a section 97A blocking order costs roughly £14,000 per site, while maintaining it costs an additional £3,600 per year. With hundreds of blocked sites, the costs are quite significant, to say the least. BPI Will Request Stream Ripper Blocks in 2021 The music industry may have similar reasons. In recent years they have complained repeatedly about the copyright-infringing nature of YouTube rippers, but there haven't been any attempts to have these sites blocked. That will change though. We reached out to the UK music group BPI which says that it still sees site blocking as a valuable tool. The group hasn't requested any new blocks in years but it will soon request blocks against stream rippers. "There are a range of tools that we use to reduce stream ripping and music piracy in all its forms in the UK. We also expect others who are in positions of responsibility within the digital economy to do more." "Website blocking is an important and very effective part of our tool kit and is used in a proportionate way. BPI intends to seek the High Court's judgment in relation to stream rippers in 2021," a BPI spokesperson added. While the movie and music industries have other priorities, site-blocking powers are not completely unused. In recent years various sports organizations, including UEFA and the Premier League, have repeatedly requested and renewed IP-address blocks of illegal IPTV services. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more. ©2020 TorrentFreak | Office 21338 PO Box 4336 Manchester, North West M61 0BW United Kingdom Web Version   Preferences   Forward   Unsubscribe     Powered by Mad Mimi®A GoDaddy® company