Microsoft's .Net platform has been dealt a security blow before it has even been released.

The discovery of what is thought to be the first C# decompiler for the software giant's much heralded next-generation operating system will undermine confidence in the platform.

John Safa, a former cracker and CTO of security vendor BitArts, said: "The cracking community now has a C# decompiler, which unravels application code. If you got on the inside of a network using this tool, you could do anything."

Roy Hills, technical director at security consultant NTA Monitor, said the Redmond giant is facing two main dangers. "First, people can reverse-engineer the code. This means they can make a few changes to an application and re-release it."

Hills said that if there are any security vulnerabilities in applications running on the platform, having the source code will make them easier to exploit. "Microsoft has come from the closed source environment. If .Net code becomes public, it's likely that there would be a rash of bugs, some of which may be security related," he said.

"It's not necessarily a problem for the .Net platform itself, but for applications written for that platform," he added.

Safa said: "If crackers can unravel C# code, they can remove embedded security features. Microsoft was unable to comment at time of going to press.

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