From the Department of “What were they thinking?”

You accidentally dial the wrong number, calling an old boyfriend by mistake. You compose an e-mail complaining about your boss, and somehow send it to your boss.

It’s never pretty when these things happen; and, when we make mistakes like this we usually feel like idiots. Fortunately, there’s always someone just a little worst to make us all feel just a wee bit better about our own mistakes.

Each quarter, Microsoft Learning will feature several case studies based on a compilation of recent issues. Certain facts will be changed for illustrative purposes and to conceal the identities of the parties involved. The actions described below represent Microsoft’s efforts to curb cheating, fraud & piracy to maintain the value of Microsoft Certifications.

Protecting Microsoft’s IP: Disclosing Microsoft intellectual property (IP)

Chris, who worked at a test center in Dublin, Ireland, was engaged to be married soon. The closer the wedding date arrived, the more he realized he needed extra funds to cover his wedding expenses. Thinking of no better way to make a few extra Euros, Chris chose to sell Microsoft Certification exam content on a popular English tech blog. Chris knew better than to use his real name on the blog; he used an alias: IT GENIOUS (of course!). Every day for a week Chris (a.k.a IT GENIOUS) signed-into the blog using his corporate email address and posted Microsoft Certification exam content. When Microsoft discovered these leaks, we investigated. A few clicks and a few IP addresses revealed the source of the posting: Chris@litwareinc.com. Microsoft requested that the authorities bring criminal charges against him.

Microsoft takes the protection and management of our Intellectual Property seriously.  Unauthorized disclosure of confidential information has a profound business impact, and may lead to civil liability or criminal prosecution. Confidential information leaks can devalue Microsoft Certifications, and breach the trust of customers, business partners, governments and communities. Abuses of this nature are not tolerated.

All Microsoft Certification exams, including the content and wording of exam questions, are Microsoft confidential information and protected by intellectual property laws. Microsoft’s Exam Security and Integrity policy states:

Examples of misconduct and/or misuse of the Exam include, but are not limited to, the following: Copying, publishing, disclosing, transmitting, selling, offering to sell, posting, downloading, distributing in any way, or otherwise transferring, modifying, making derivative works of, reverse engineering, decompiling, disassembling or translating any Exam in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, verbal or written, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose

For general questions regarding security issues and questions, contact the Microsoft Learning - Security Team (mlsecure@microsoft.com).

If you have any information regarding piracy, exam fraud, violations or abuse, you are asked to contact Training & Certification Tips (tctips@microsoft.com)

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Theft

Here's a remarkable example of theft.

During a customer event, Microsoft Learning distributed Microsoft Certification exam vouchers to event attendees who participated in a customer survey. The fine print clearly stated that vouchers were available to survey respondents, limit one voucher per customer, and vouchers had no resale value.

Bonnie, who attended the event, returned to the survey booth multiple times over the 5-day event. She made sure different people were managing the booth and proceeded to answer the same survey over and over again. She walked away from the event with 17 vouchers. The assessed retail value of each voucher was approximately US$150.

One week later, Microsoft Learning Security was informed that Microsoft Certification exam vouchers were being sold on Proseware.com (a popular online auction website). Working with Proseware’s compliance team, Microsoft Learning Security was able to track the seller’s account.

The details of the theft were uncovered as part of a Microsoft Learning Security investigation. Bonnie admitted to fraudulently obtaining and selling “maybe 10” vouchers to out of state individuals who paid US$100 for each stolen voucher. Bonnie admitted to using the proceeds to pay for her own Desktop Support – Enterprise exam and training resources.

Bonnie was permanently banned from the Microsoft Certification Program. The matter has been referred to law enforcement.

For general questions regarding security issues and questions, contact the Microsoft Learning - Security Team (mlsecure@microsoft.com).

If you have any information regarding piracy, exam fraud, violations or abuse, you are asked to contact Training & Certification Tips (tctips@microsoft.com)

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Not So Sharp!

If you’re ever arrested for smuggling, an excuse that almost never works is “Idunno.”

Last March, Shuh San walked into a testing facility in China to take Exam 70-668: PRO: Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Administrator.  Before walking into the examination room, per the proctor’s instructions, Shuh San = placed his belonging in a locker… all but one…

45 minutes into the exam, the proctor noticed Shuh San pushing himself away from the desk and holding his hand towards the computer screen. Upon further observation the proctor realized that Shuh San was bold enough to sneak a cell phone into the examination room.  The cell phone was examined fully and it was confirmed that Shuh San had taken screen-shots of the exam. Shuh San’s response when approached by the proctor: “Idunno”.

This is completely against Microsoft Certification Exam policy. Shuh San’s exam was immediately stopped, the screen shots were purged from his cell phone and he was escorted out of the testing center. But it didn’t end there. Shuh San was permanently banned from the Microsoft Certification Program and is no longer eligible to participate in the program. Worst yet, Shuh San worked for A. Datum Corporation, when his employer requested validation of Microsoft Certification; Shuh San could not provide it and had to reveal that he did not receive his MCITP Certification and was no longer a Microsoft Certified Professional; a requirement of his employment.

Although this particular candidate was blatantly involved in content theft, any type of cheating is not tolerated. It erodes the value of Microsoft Certifications. “Idunno” is not an excuse. Candidates should familiarize themselves with all Microsoft Certification exam policies and procedures prior to taking a Microsoft Certification exam.

If a candidate is caught cheating, violating testing rules, or diminishing the security and integrity of the Microsoft Certification exams in any way, the candidate may be prohibited from taking any Microsoft Certification exams and/or may be decertified from the Microsoft Certification Program.  Such fraud includes, but is not limited to, the following:

1. Modifying and/or altering the original results/score report for this Exam or any other exam records
2. Violation of the current exam retake policy
3. Fraudulently impersonating another to gain access to the Exam
4. Submission of any work that is not completely your own
5. Providing or accepting improper assistance
6. Using unauthorized materials in an attempt to satisfy Exam requirements (this includes using brain-dump material and/or unauthorized publication of Exam questions with or without answers)
7. Disseminating actual Exam content
8. Possession of non-authorized items at the testing center during an Exam
9. Misconduct as determined by statistical analysis
10. Copying, publishing, disclosing, transmitting, selling, offering to sell, posting, downloading, distributing in any way, or otherwise transferring, modifying, making derivative works of, reverse engineering, decompiling, disassembling or translating any Exam in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, verbal or written, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose

For general questions regarding security issues and questions, contact the Microsoft Learning - Security Team (mlsecure@microsoft.com).

If you have any information regarding piracy, exam fraud, violations or abuse, you are asked to contact Training & Certification Tips (tctips@microsoft.com)

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The names of companies, products, people, characters, and/or data mentioned herein are fictitious and are in no way intended to represent any real individual, company, product, or event, unless otherwise noted. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of Microsoft Corporation.