Microsoft has allowed the EU to check the source code of their products on backdoors

^{Microsoft Photo}

The office of Microsoft Transparency Center has opened in Brussels, which is intended for the work of specialists of the European Union in it. According to the decision of the EU Steering Committee, the source code of Microsoft products should be checked for the absence of various means of uncontrolled remote access, undocumented functions, backdoors. The need for such verification was expressed after the well-known spy scandal involving Edward Snowden, when it became clear that the American intelligence services were illegally busy listening to traffic on the Internet.

The opened office is specially equipped to work with the source code of the programs, moreover, it uses special security measures in order to eliminate the leaks of traditionally closed sources. Microsoft Vice President Matt Tomlinson says that at the moment the source code of ten products is provided for work: these are Windows 8.1, 7 and Vista operating systems (the Windows XP version was not considered), Windows Server edition, Office software, SharePoint 2010 platform, a client for communicating Lync and several versions of Windows Embedded. For the analysis of source code specialists will be provided with appropriate analytical tools.


^{Microsoft Photo}
Microsoft will continue to work with government organizations as part of its Government Security Program (GSP), which is designed to convince officials of the safety of the company's products. Although the program was launched in 2003, thanks to Edward Snoden, she received a new round of development. A year earlier, the same Transparency Center was opened in Washington, but now because of the close attention of European officials to the issue of security on the Internet, the same office was opened in Brussels, the city where the European headquarters is located.
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Russian intelligence services were given the opportunity to study Microsoft source code back in 2002. In 2010, in addition to access to the source code of outdated Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2000, access was also made to the new Windows 7, Office 2010 and Microsoft SQL Server database server. In January of this year, Apple also agreed to an audit of the security of their iPhones, Macs and iPads for possible use by Chinese government officials.