Security News > 2020 > September > Microsoft Windows XP Source Code Reportedly Leaked Online

Microsoft's long-lived operating system Windows XP-that still powers over 1% of all laptops and desktop computers worldwide-has had its source code leaked online, allegedly, along with Windows Server 2003.

The source code for Microsoft's 19-year-old operating system was published as a torrent file on notorious bulletin board website 4chan, and it's for the very first time when source code for Microsoft's operating system has been leaked to the public.

The torrent download also includes the alleged source code for various Windows 10 components that appeared in 2017 and source code for the first operating system of the original Xbox that appeared online in May. While Microsoft has not officially confirmed or denied the leak yet, several independent security researchers have since begun analyzing the source code and spoken of its legitimacy.

The leaked source code should not come as a surprise as Microsoft does have a history of providing its OS source code to governments worldwide via a special Government Security Program the company runs that allows governments and organizations controlled access to the source code.

Since operating systems may share code, exploitable flaws found in the Windows XP source code still present in Windows 10 can allow hackers to target newer versions of Windows operating system altogether, which would be a real threat to billions of users.

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