The person who published the file claims to have spent two months creating this torrent, and previously these files were distributed by data brokers only privately.

The file also contains the sources:

• MS DOS 3.30;
• MS DOS 6.0;
• Windows 2000;
• Windows CE 3;
• Windows CE 4;
• Windows CE 5;
• Windows Embedded 7;
• Windows Embedded CE;
• Windows NT 3.5;
• Windows NT 4.

Although Microsoft representatives have not yet commented on the incident, many experts have already studied the publication and confirmed the authenticity of the sources.

“Nothing fatal happened, because many of the published files were leaked to the network many years ago, and the new “leak ”is, in fact, a collection of that data”, — say the experts.

The only new elements that have not been seen in the public domain before are the source code for Windows XP, Server 2003, and Windows 2000.

ZDNet notes that the source is likely to come from academia. For example, Microsoft has long made the source code of its operating systems available to governments around the world for security audits, as well as for scientific groups for research.

Interestingly, the torrent file contains not only the source code, but is also complemented by a set of strange videos promoting various conspiracy theories about Bill Gates and other ideas of QAnon.

Journalists, referring to information security experts, note that this leak is unlikely to pose a great danger to Windows XP users. Suffice it to recall that the OS was released almost 20 years ago, and its support was discontinued a long time ago.

Currently, the market share of Windows XP is about 1%, and it is unlikely that malware developers will be strongly interested in auditing the source code of this age and developing exploits for such a small audience.

Let me remind you that the Free Software Foundation encourages Microsoft to open Windows 7 source code, and this organization even sent Microsoft developers an empty HDD for Windows 7 sources, but the vendor so far ignores these promotions.

The post Windows XP source codes leaked appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

The fact is that scammers are very fond of using names of famous people in their scams. For example, last month, attackers hijacked three fairly popular YouTube channels and gave them new names associated with SpaceX. Then the scammers launched fake “live broadcasts” with Elon Musk, during which they carried out fictitious distribution of bitcoins.

Thus, the cybercriminals lured more than $150,000 in cryptocurrency from users in just two days.

By the way, I talked that on hacker forums noticed growing demand for credentials from YouTube channels.

Similarly, attackers often exploit names of other famous personalities, including Stephen Wozniak, Bill Gates, and so on. By showing videos in which celebrities discuss cryptocurrencies and blockchain-related topics, the scammers ask viewers to send them a small amount of cryptocurrency, promising to double and return any amount received.

“YouTube has all the necessary tools to detect and suppress such undesirable actions, but the company does not even take obvious steps for this (for example, it does not filter videos that include phrases such as “bitcoins giveaway” in their titles)”, – claim the plaintiffs.

The lawsuit also mentions Twitter, as scammers also regularly used the platform for similar purposes. However, in recent years, Twitter has been actively fighting such a scam, and the plaintiffs believe that the “repression” on Twitter pushed the scammers to go to YouTube, where they have been at ease for many years.

The plaintiffs also argue that YouTube is not just passively allows posting of such videos. YouTube’s recommendation algorithms have promoted these videos to crypto enthusiasts, and ads have been embedded in the videos, meaning the platform has been making direct profits from the fraudulent videos.

ArsTechnica journalists point out that in this case, YouTube protects section 230 of the Communication Decency Act. Essentially, the law grants online platforms immunity when it comes to inappropriate user content.

“Sites has immunity even if they do little to combat unwanted user content”, – tell ArsTechnica journalists.

The publication reminds that courts usually rely on section 230, even in cases where users distribute child pornography. It is unlikely that this time the court will look at the problem differently, although the name of Steven Wozniak may play iits role, and perhaps YouTube will take the problem of cryptocurrency scam more seriously.

The post Steve Wozniak Sues YouTube Over Cryptocurrency Scammers appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

At TED conference in 2015, Bill Gates argued that the greatest threat to humanity was not nuclear war at all, but an infectious virus that could kill millions of people. Anti-vaccines and supporters of conspiracy theories used this video as evidence that one of the richest people in the world was planning to take control of the global health system using a pandemic.

“Posts on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter about the Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist falsely claim he created COVID-19, is looking to profit from a vaccine or is behind a “plot to use the illness to cull or surveil the global population”, — according to a report from The New York Times.

According to specialists from Zignal Labs, fake information about Gates is currently the most common of all false information about coronavirus. Disinformation includes more than 16 thousand posts on Facebook this year, which received more than 900 thousand likes and comments, and the ten most popular videos about Gates’s relationship with coronavirus have gained 5 million views over the past two months.

“Distressing that there are people spreading misinformation when we should all be looking for ways to collaborate and save lives.”, — said Mark Suzman, chief executive of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Bill Gates himself, according to the The New York Times, refused to comment the situation.

Mr. Gates, who founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975 and built it into a software behemoth, has largely devoted his time to philanthropic endeavors since he stepped back from the company in 2008. As of 2018, the Gates Foundation had a $46.8 billion endowment, making it one of the world’s largest private charitable organizations.

The foundation worked to distribute vaccines in developing countries, promoted family planning through increased use of contraceptives, and funded the development of genetically modified crops.

In January, when the coronavirus began to spread, the Gates Foundation allocated $10 million to help healthcare providers in China and Africa.

On April 15, the Gates Foundation announced it would donate $250 million – considerably larger sum compared with an earlier commitment of $100 million – to slow the spread of the disease.

The conspiracy theories about Mr. Gates may particularly damage what people think about a future coronavirus vaccine, said Claire Wardle, executive director of First Draft, an organization that fights online disinformation. She said the narratives “have the potential to kick off coordinated and sophisticated online campaigns that turn people against taking a virus vaccine.”

While the conspiracy theorists are losing their minds about the origins of the pandemic, attackers also use COVID-19 for their own purposes. For example, Cybercriminals fake letters from WHO to distribute HawkEye and trick money into fight with COVID-19. It’s not even clear what is more dangerous.

The post Conspiracy theorists accused Bill Gates in creating coronavirus appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.