Cisco says software stolen, but no damage occurred
Reuters Posted online: Sunday, May 23, 2004 at 1257 hours IST
Chicago, May 23: Cisco Systems Inc acknowledged some of its source code was stolen and then posted to the Internet, but added that no damage has resulted from the theft.
"Cisco believes that the improper publication of this information does not create increased risk to customers' Cisco equipment," the company said in a letter to customers and partners posted on Wednesday on its Website.
Cisco said it does not appear the theft was the result of a vulnerability in any of its products, nor does the company believe it was the result of any action taken by an employee or contractor.
Russian Website SecurityLab.ru reported last week that the code was stolen from Cisco's corporate network, with some leaked onto the Internet.
Source code, the underlying blueprint of computer software, determines how programs work. Companies like Cisco and Microsoft Corp. zealously guard their source code as the lifeblood of their business.
Cisco, the world's largest maker of gear that directs Internet traffic, said it is cooperating with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies on the matter.
Analysts had speculated hackers could potentially harm Cisco's Internetworking Operating System (IOS), but the damage would be limited because hundreds of versions of the system exist.
The San Jose, California-based company said it found that prior to last weekend a portion of its IOS was illegally copied and taken outside of Cisco's internal systems. The code was available on a foreign Web site for several days before its subsequent removal.
