A Connecticut man was arrested on Tuesday on charges that he illegally sold a secret source code used for Microsoft Corp."s Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 programs, federal prosecutors said. The Manhattan United States Attorney"s Office said William P. Genovese, Jr., 27, was charged with unlawfully distributing a trade secret, a charge that carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a $250,000 fine if he is convicted.
Genovese was not immediately available for comment. Prosecutors charged in the criminal complaint that Genovese posted a message on his Web site offering to sell the source code, which had previously been stolen by others. Access to a software program"s source code can allow someone to replicate the program or find vulnerabilities.