Tales of the Bizarre: Al Qaeda Allegedly Hacked Microsoft

In a meeting with NATO defense ministers earlier today, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld warned the alliance that the September 11 terrorist attacks were only the beginning and that future attacks could take on several forms, including conventional, nuclear, and even computer-based weapons. Rumsfeld's warning about computer attacks might seem a bit far-fetched, given that al Qaeda operatives tend to be widely dispersed throughout the world, often in third-world nations. But if police in India are correct, such an attack might have already occurred, with Windows XP as the target.

It sounds crazy. But according to a captured al Qaeda member, who allegedly participated in plotting terrorist attacks in India, Great Britain, and Australia, members of the group were able to pose as programmers and get jobs at Microsoft, where they attempted to plant "trojans, trapdoors, and bugs in Windows XP." The suspect supposedly made the claim this week during a police interrogation in Mumbai, India, according to a report in Newbytes.

A Microsoft spokesperson said the claims were "bizarre and unsubstantiated and should be treated skeptically" and noted that the company couldn't find evidence of malicious code in the system.