February 12th, 2009

Snitch on the Conficker worm author, collect $250,000

Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes @ 12:00 pm

Categories: In the news, Microsoft, Security

Tags: Microsoft Corp., Worm, Cyberthreats, Viruses And Worms, Security, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Happen to know who put together the Conficker worm that’s making the rounds and is estimated to have infected millions of Windows-based PCs? If you do Microsoft is offering a cool $250,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those behind the worm.

Today, Microsoft Corp. announced a partnership with technology industry leaders and academia to implement a coordinated, global response to the Conficker (aka Downadup) worm. Together with security researchers, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and operators within the Domain Name System, Microsoft coordinated a response designed to disable domains targeted by Conficker. Microsoft also announced a $250,000 reward for information that results in the arrest and conviction of those responsible for illegally launching the Conficker malicious code on the Internet.

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Microsoft’s reward offer stems from the company’s recognition that the Conficker worm is a criminal attack. Microsoft wants to help the authorities catch the criminals responsible for it. Residents of any country are eligible for the reward, according to the laws of that country, because Internet viruses affect the Internet community worldwide. Individuals with information about the Conficker worm should contact their international law enforcement agencies.

Gives you an idea of how much the Conficker worm is annoying Microsoft.

This isn’t the first time Microsoft has offered a reward for information about malware authors. The author of the Sasser worm was caught based on information received through tipsters. But a reward isn’t alwasy successful - those behind the Blaster, MyDoom, and Sobig worms are still walking around with a $250,000 bounty on their heads.