Need $250,000? Turn in whoever launched Conficker
Thursday, February 12, 2009
In what could be described as a web-security declaration of war, Microsoft announced a $250,000 award for information or tips that would lead to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the Conficker worm.
The software company will also partner with technology industry leaders and academia to develop a global response to the worm that has wreaked havoc on at least 10 million PCs worldwide.
Microsoft's reward offer comes from the company's stance that Conficker is a criminal attack and aims help authorities in the search for the cybercriminals involved in the worm. And because the worm is global, the reward is eligible for any resident of any country, according to the company.
With Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and operations within the Doman Name System, Microsoft plans to disable domains targeted by Conficker (which also goes by Downadup).
"The best way to defeat potential botnets like Conficker/Downadup is by the security and Domain Name System communities working together," said Greg Rattray, chief Internet security advisor at ICANN.
Initially, Conficker took advantage of a known Microsoft vulnerability that was patched last October. However, the worm can now spread through portable devices such as USB drives and MP3 players.
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