The Windows 10 Leak Could Be Positive For Microsoft

In 2016 Microsoft officially was the organization with the most open source contributors.

While projects like Visual Studio, .Net, PowerShell and more have been open sourced, Microsoft has maintained tight control over Windows itself. But now, it seems as least one person is trying to make an April Fools’ dream come true.

Recently source code for a few Windows 10 builds was leaked to betaarchive.com and temporarily available for anyone to download.

According to an article in The Register, the leak will make it easier for hackers to find exploitable bugs. From ClearCenter's perspective, this will only help the newer versions of Windows to become more secure or kill the viability of a closed Windows platform altogether, forcing Microsoft desktop OS versions into the open source World.

The impact could be amplified due to a large number of next generation ARM and Windows IoT devices due to start dropping later this year.

As seen with the recent #wannacry ransomware scare, unpatched Windows devices are a huge target for hackers and a liability for any size organization.

Any IT professional knows that it's impossible to keep all users up-to-date all of the time. Most organizations can’t control or even monitor 100% of their organization-issued and/or BYOD Windows devices let alone keep track of all the things like Smart TVs, DVRs, Web-connected Cameras, etc. that are lurking out there sitting somewhere on your LAN.

Is there a simple answer? Yes. The advanced features of the Gateway.Management app running on ClearOS include Egress Control, Don’t Talk to Strangers, and Machine Learning-based Whitelisting.

The best way to stop ransomeware, a virus or malware from phoning home is to make sure the outgoing request simply cannot be made in the first place.