The company wants to track down testers who leak builds to the web

Jun 21, 2014 06:11 GMT  ·  By
Microsoft wants to keep Windows 8.1 Update 2 private until it releases it to users
   Microsoft wants to keep Windows 8.1 Update 2 private until it releases it to users

It seems that the times when we got the chance to try out early Windows builds before their launch are long gone, as Microsoft has made several internal changes to prevent any other leaks from reaching the web.

The Redmond-based software giant has reportedly increased security at its offices in Redmond not only to make sure that no Windows copies are getting leaked, but also to track down whoever publishes an early version of the operating systems to the web.

Russian group WZOR, which has a good track on Windows leaks, recently said (Google Translate version) that Microsoft's executives weren't quite pleased to see so many Windows 8 and 8.1 builds reaching the web lately and made some changes that are supposed to prevent such leaks from happening again with Windows 8.1 Update 2 and Windows 9.

It appears that Microsoft closely monitors the access to the servers that store the testing builds of Windows 8.1 Update 2 and, what's more, testers who are allowed to try out this new OS version need to individually request a key that's generated by the company itself. Each copy is digitally signed with a unique key, so in case a specific Windows copy reaches the web, Microsoft can easily track down the one who posted it online.

At the same time, WZOR says that Microsoft is paying much more attention to its offices in China, especially because many of the leaks that have reached the web in the last couple of years came from this particular country.

The corporate sales division in China is also closely monitored and, again, builds submitted to manufacturers contain code that would help Microsoft determine the company whose copies reached the web.

Microsoft recently managed to have Alex Kibkalo arrested, a former company employee who leaked Windows 8 copies to the web and posted information online with the help of a French blogger.

Kibkalo was tracked down by Microsoft and the FBI using conversations with the blogger that he stored in his Hotmail account. According to court papers, not only did the former Microsoft employee post Windows copies online, but he also leaked the SDK of the activation server, which basically enabled users to generate keys that could be then used to activate these builds of Windows.

Kibkalo received a 3-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to charges of stealing intellectual property. He will be deported to Russia to serve the jail sentence next week.