Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

Russian Spy Sweep Nets Young Microsoft Engineer

by Terrence O'Brien on July 14, 2010 at 07:00 PM

Alexey Karetnikov At Microsoft
Americans are understandably captivated by the Russian spy scandal that has rocked the already strained post Cold War relations between Washington and the Kremlin. The first ten spies have already been sent back to the motherland in a prisoner swap and the eleventh is still at large, having disappeared from the island nation of Cyprus. But a twelfth spy has been discovered working at the Redmond, WA headquarters of Microsoft and has been sent packing on an immigration violation.

Alexey Karetnikov worked as a software engineer, primarily focusing on bug testing for Microsoft products. Karentnikov was likely expected not only to gather political and security information, but also engage in industrial espionage, stealing intellectual property from Microsoft and identifying potential flaws in its products that could be exploited for nefarious purposes. However, it's believed that the twelfth spy had only just begun operations and no sensitive information had been gathered. Rather than engage in the long and arduous process of arresting and trying Karetnikov as a foreign spy, the government deported the 20-something-year-old on a technicality regarding his immigration status. If you're so inclined, you can check out the now former U.S. resident's Facbeook page, though you'll find most information is kept private. [From: Washington Post and Guardian, via: Mashable]

Tags: alexey karetnikov, AlexeyKaretnikov, espionage, microsoft, russia, russian spies, russian spy, Russian spy ring, RussianSpies, RussianSpy, RussianSpyRing, spy, top

Comments

1

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular