Cisco's stolen software to cause no damage

CHICAGO: Cisco Systems, the world's largest maker of gear that directs Internet traffic, has acknowledged that some of its source code which was stolen and then posted to the Internet, has not resulted in any damage. "Cisco believes that the improper publication of this information does not increase risk to customers' Cisco equipment," the company said in a letter to customers and partners posted on its Web site.

According to Cisco, it does not appear the theft was the result of a vulnerability in any of its products, nor does the company believes it was the result of any action taken by an employee or contractor. Russian Web site SecurityLab.ru reported last week that the code was stolen from Cisco's corporate network, with some leaked onto the Internet.

Cisco said it is cooperating with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies on the matter. Analysts had speculated hackers could potentially harm Cisco's Internetworking Operating System (IOS), but the damage would be limited because hundreds of versions of the system exist.

Prior to last weekend, the company had found that a portion of its IOS was illegally copied and taken outside of Cisco's internal systems. The code was available on a foreign Web site for several days before its subsequent removal.

© Reuters