Microsoft snares Sony rootkit discoverer

Stan Beer
Wednesday, 19 July 2006 06:30

IT People - People

Software giant Microsoft's buyout of privately data protection and systems recovery company Winternals Software is as much about recruitment as technology acquisition.

The acquisition of Winternals will not only give Microsoft ownership of the Winternals data protection and recovery suite of tools, as well as the free Sysinternals Windows utilities. It will also give Microsoft two of the brightest minds in the business in the form of company founders Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell.

Russinovich made his mark in the data protection industry in 2005 when he discovered the copy protection rootkit in Sony BMG audio CDs, which was automatically installed on desktop computers when customers tried to play the CDs.

Russinovich is probably the technologist most responsible for raising public awareness about the potential issues with charges of spyware that technology companies face if they try to install software on the computers of customers without their knowledge. In a way, it is ironic he is joining the software giant as it faces its own legal problems associated with the Windows Genuine Advantage program.

Microsoft admitted publicly that Russinovich was at least one of its main targets in the acquisition. Russinovich will take up a position as a technical fellow in Microsoft's Platforms and Services group, while Cogswell will be a software architect in the Core Operating Systems division.

What Microsoft intends to do with Winternals and Sysinternals is not exactly clear. However, Microsoft has suffered a brain drain to Google in recent times and needs good people at least as much as additional security products.