Alex Kibkalo, a former Microsoft who left the company in 2012, was arrested today by the FBI after a year-long investigation for allegedly leaking copies of Windows 7 and Windows 8 onto the Internet.
According to a report by the Seattle Post, Kibkalo, when he gained access to copies of Windows 7 and Windows 8, uploaded them to his personal cloud and then allowed a French blogger, who never revealed his identity, to download all the files and share them online.
The report states that Kibkalo, who worked for the company for 7 years, “uploaded proprietary software to the cloud, including pre-release updates for Windows 8, as well as the Microsoft Activation Server Software Development Kit (SDK).”
It appears that this was not the first time Kibkalo has leaked company files to the Internet, as there are published photos from his Twitter accounts showing the company’s products before their release.
Kibkalo was arrested on Wednesday. He is accused of stealing trade secrets, and his first hearing with prosecutors is scheduled for this week.
