Supposedly, he might have been looking for vulnerable places in Windows or other Microsoft programmes. Dave Aitel, formerly of the National Security Agency and now a private researcher said that “Access to the vulnerabilities external or internal researchers find and are fixing is of key interest to a nation state looking to use those to penetrate into other places,”
However, the US Department of Homeland Security stated that Karetnikov did not have access to any sensitive information;
According to Matthew Chandler, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security he was present in the United States in violation of immigration law and voluntarily agreed to deportation in lieu of further court proceedings, but criminal charges were filed against Karetnikov due to insufficient evidence.
Source:
http://it.moldova.org/news/russian-spy-caught-at-micrsoft-210801-eng.html
