Somebody's in BIG trouble. :)

[Mystery Girl]

Microsoft has sent word to its testers that there is currently
an e-mail scam going on to steal valid ID#'s and passwords to
Microsoft's beta servers. A copy of the actual mailing was sent to us,
so we knew what it looked like. It looked very official, except for
the return address which would not verify as a valid MS address. (As
you are aware, it is possible to track e-mail to its TRUE source, if
you know how) As MS pointed out, they would never have any reason to
ask us for any of this data, as they make and control the database and
can change it at will. The implications of this are VERY serious.
Since this constitutes Interstate Mail Fraud (and possibly
International Mail Fraud) and a violation of the Computer Security
Act, it is now being persued by MS security and the appropriate
Federal agencies. This is not a joking matter and since MS does do
work for various Government agencies (work that is rarely publicized
or documented), ANY breach of security must be dealt with. I don't
believe the scammers have ANY idea of what they may have gotten
themselves into.
I just can not fathom why anyone would risk a committing a
Federal crime just to get there hands on beta software. (Especially
something that appears to be readily available in the Usenet warezs
groups) Stealing these passwords carries the same penalty under the
law as actually hacking into a military computer (without the treason
and espionage charges) I mean really, if someone is that desperate for
a beta copy of Win98, it would seem that Microsoft has severely
underestimated the price it should charge for it. Let's see, up to 10
years in jail and up to a $500,000 fine, I'd say at that rate if it
sells for less than $20,000 , it must be a bargain. Either that or the
scammers are incredibly STUPID for someone that is able to use a
keyboard.
You must remember that beta testers are bound by a legally
binding Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDAs as they are referred to).
These cover giving out IDs and passwords (as well as MANY other
things). By the terms of the agreement, legal action can be taken
against those that release this information. (I doubt MS would
prosecute those that have been scammed, but by strict interpretation,
they can) And if this scam was traced to the employees of a
competitor, somebody's world could collapse. The U.S. government and
military is EXTREMELY paranoid about computer security breaches, since
so much of the U.S. (and the world, for that matter) depends on
computers for so much. ( Were you aware that ALL log-ons to
U.S.Military and U.S. Government agencies are checked and verified by
a watchdog agency within the military that operates independently of
normal channels, just to look for sabotage and espionage. That is
verified, but no one knows how far this may extend into the public
sector.) This is not the game that you see in the movies, this is real
and it is serious.

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