14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has finally managed to take the pirated Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0 source code offline, no less than 11 years after it first got leaked to the web.
The Redmond-based software giant submitted a DMCA takedown request to GitHub, the developer platform that was still hosting the source code since 2011, and although some copies are still likely to exist in some private communities, it's clearly a lot harder to find it right now.
The Windows 2000 and NT 4.0 source code first got leaked in February 2004, and Microsoft confirmed at that time that it wasn't "the result of any breach of Microsoft's corporate network or internal security," trying to work with the FBI to take down links and find the ones responsible for the leak.
It took years for Microsoft to get in touch with all websites hosting the source code, and after more than one decade, the company still hasn't managed to take it offline for good.
But with today's GitHub takedown request, it's believed that finding the original source code would be a lot harder, especially because most private communities require registration and most often block the access of search engines for indexing their files.
Why Microsoft wanted the source code offline
There's no doubt that getting the Windows 2000 and NT 4.0 source code means nothing for Microsoft right now, as the company managed to patch most of the vulnerabilities found in the last decade and it has already switched to modern operating systems and is only supporting them exclusively.
But as TorrentFreak writes, it's most likely an attempt for Microsoft to protect its own goods, especially because Redmond has always tried to prevent illegal copies of its software from reaching the web.
This time, it's hard to believe that anyone would be interested in downloading the source code for anything else besides curiosity, but with a little effort, you can still find it if you know where to look.