Microsoft leaker Alex Kibkalo sentenced to three months in prison

Several Russian sources report that recently arrested Microsoft leaker Alex Kibkalo has been sentenced to three months in prison by an US court. The former Microsoft employee, working as a Director of Product Management in 5nine Software when he was arrested, was charged with stealing and then leaking company secrets, according to court documents.

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Kibkalo was arrested in March this year and will stay in prison until June 19th, he already pleaded guilty for leaking information and signed a plea bargain. Kibkalo leaked confidential information to an unidentified French blogger when he worked for Microsoft in Lebanon.  He uploaded proprietary software including pre-release software updates for Windows 8 RT and the Microsoft Activation Server Software Development Kit (SDK) to a computer in Redmond, Washington. He also uploaded the files to  his personal Windows Live SkyDrive account.

The unknown French blogger posted screenshots of the unreleased Windows versions, distributed them on Twitter and sold Windows Server activation keys on Ebay.

Kibkalo started his career at a Russian division of Microsoft and asked for a transfer to Microsoft Lebanon where provided training and support to customers in the Middle East and Africa. In 2012 he allegedly has a conflict with his higher management who complained about poor performance of Kibkalo. In the same year he leaked the information after he quit and left the company while he continued to have access to Microsoft's internal network.

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Kibkalo worked 7 years for the software giant from Redmond and since 2012 for a Russian office of the American software company 5nine. His arrest also had its effects on other known Microsoft leakers, the Russian group WZOR disappeared from the internet a while shortly after the arrest.

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