Windows XP Leaked Source Code Removed After 10 Days

There was an extensive leak towards the end of last month. For the first time, much of the Windows XP source code has been made public. Microsoft has now removed the leaked program code from its own GitHub platform after ten days.

After the first links to the code of the old Microsoft operating system appeared on 4chan, the files were quickly shared via various torrents and file-sharing providers such as MEGA. Just a few days after the leak, the Redmond company announced that it would investigate the incident and, if necessary, initiate measures. As reported by Torrentfreak, it took a few days longer.

On September 29th, the leaked source code was made available on the GitHub developer platform. The repository was uploaded by the user “shaswata56” and made it possible for all users to download the files quickly and easily. Since GitHub is owned by Microsoft and the code is copyrighted and never intended for the public, it was considered likely that the Redmond company would find and lock the repository after a short time.

Microsoft sends takedown requests

However, that was not the case. It took Microsoft ten days to remove the leaked code from its own platform. Before the repository was deleted, the Redmond company sent a takedown request under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to GitHub. The code can no longer be found on other platforms such as MEGA either. The slow approach, however, suggests that Microsoft isn’t too keen on stopping the leak from spreading. The practical effects are likely to be limited anyway.