Microsoft turns over all Win7 and server source code to Russia's new KGB

It seems absurd. Microsoft, America’s preeminent software maker, provides the operating system for more than 90% of the world’s computers — including those used by the U.S. Government.

Microsoft has always carefully protected the source code to its operating systems. In fact, a key distinction between the various Windows variants and open source OSs like Linux and BSD is that Linux and BSD are open source.

Microsoft protects its source code for a variety of reasons. One reason Microsoft doesn’t release its code is that its source code is the company’s crown jewels, it’s proprietary advantage.

Another is consistency. If the source code were made public, it might be possible for customers to “fork” the OS, leading to a wide variety of somewhat dissimilar “distros” of Windows.

But the prime reason is security. If its source code were made public, it might be easier for hackers to find vulnerabilities and exploit them — anything from breaking into systems to merely breaking to serial number validation process.

That’s why a little piece of news covered by ZDNet UK’s Tom Espiner is so astonishing.

According to Espiner, Microsoft has turned over all its source code for Windows 7, along with its source for Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft Office 2010 and Microsoft SQL Server to Russia’s Federal’naya sluzhba bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Federatsii. The FSB is present-day Russia’s successor to the infamous Soviet-era KGB.

As has become quite apparent over the last week, Russia is far from out of the espionage business.

As Espiner reports, this is all about business, rather than state security. Microsoft has a Government Security Program where it allows governments access to its source code, ostensibly as part of the company’s various bids to sell software to international governments.