Back here in the states one of the hot stories as of late has been the discovery of a massive Russian spy ring. A dozen people have been caught in what is believed to be the largest operation since the Cold War. And now, the tech world is getting involved.

It seems that one of the individuals deported as a result of the bust was also a Microsoft employee. But as with most things, the real-life story doesn't quite pack the intrigue and excitement of our Hollywood fantasies.

It seems that the man, one Alexey Karetnikov, did indeed spend nine months working for Microsoft prior to his arrest and deportation. But those nine months were spent working as an entry-level software tester and nowhere near any sort of top-secret projects. In other words, the guy wasn't so much embedding the Windows kernel with Kremlin spyware so much as he was writing detailed reports about application crashes and minor errors. Not surprisingly, Microsoft doesn't believe he was able to compromise any sensitive data.

Karetnikov agreed to deportation for violating immigration law and will not face further charges. Though some would suggest that spending nine months in one of the least glamourous positions in the business is punishment enough.

15 Jul 2010