Feb 16 2009Microsoft: Reward For Finding Worm's Origin
And in other Microsoft news, the company is offering up a bounty of $250,000 for any information that leads to the arrest of the authors of a recent computer worm that provides hackers an easy route to identity fraud and theft.
It's not the first time Microsoft has offered a reward for information leading to the capture of a cybercriminal. In November 2003, it slapped a $500,000 bounty on the authors of the Blaster and Sobig worms, and in May 2004, it paid $250,000 to a group of informants who enabled the prosecution of Sven Jaschan, the German teenage creator of the Sasser and Netsky viruses.
"The big question is whether the Conficker bounty is big enough," said Cluley. "$250,000 may have been enough to identify Sven Jaschan, a German teenager infecting computers for kicks. "But is it going to be enough to encourage someone to inform on an organised criminal gang, making large amounts of money out of malware?"
Okay, so what the hell's a worm? Is it anything like a trojan? Because I've got a whole shoebox full of those under my bed. Magnums, ladies, magnums.
Conficker virus: Microsoft offers reward for tracking down author of worm [telegraph]
Thanks to Cap'n Jack, who only fits in desert eagles.
Reader Comments
1. cody - February 16, 2009 1:30 PM
first
2. ANDY! - February 16, 2009 1:30 PM
second!!! w00t!
3. Mr.Anderson - February 16, 2009 1:31 PM
Yeah...250k ain't gonna cut it. If I fork my friends over it'll take at least 500k...Just sayin'
4. andy again... - February 16, 2009 1:32 PM
me and cody are at school =D
5. Ollie Williams - February 16, 2009 1:36 PM
Maybe they should take that $250,000 and invest it in an OS that doesn't suck balls. You know, one that doesn't have such large security leaks in the first place. Novel idea I know.
6. Pew³ - February 16, 2009 1:44 PM
I know I'm not as smart as you guys with all this computer shit. But, hey... I'm still alive, ain't I? I mean, you've *got* to be running out of bad guys by now, right? Huh? Gabriel? Honestly, you can tell me. I mean, how does that work? Got some kind of service or something? Some kind of 800 number? 1-800-HENCHMEN? Oh, you know what? I bet you're still on hold with, "Can I get another dead Asian hooker bitch over here right away?"
7. Lowlands - February 16, 2009 1:51 PM
Wanted worm,dead or alive.No photo available,dangerous! Reward $250,000.
8. protocol - February 16, 2009 1:58 PM
GW, i know you had something to do with it, im waiting till the price goes up to 750K then im turning you in..... i knew if i read your blog long enough you would make me rich.
9. naas - February 16, 2009 2:06 PM
@5 said it best, invest it to eliminate the OS imperfections.
10. Spam Artist - February 16, 2009 3:59 PM
FAKE!!!!
This is a complete photoshop job. You can tell its fake because the shadow's are all wrong.
This is a c-section delivery of a scene from the movie Tender Dracula where one of the drunken overdubbed make up artists used his cd drive as a cup holder, and short circuited the entire city grid.
11. Pew³ - February 16, 2009 4:09 PM
Where is everyone today?
Gizmoduck?
I'm having a $hitty day, I was hoping there would be something here to cheer me up, but you are all missing or moving too slow.
12. Chaos The Hedgehog - February 16, 2009 5:04 PM
uhh i uhh err i plead the fifth.
13. Ken the tech - February 16, 2009 6:00 PM
magnum?!? so why you keep it under your bed? :))
By the way I'm not gonna believe that Microsoft will gonna pay 250,000 for just an information :)
14. Meryl Silverburgh - February 16, 2009 6:21 PM
Wow. Magnums? lol.
15. daisy - February 16, 2009 6:58 PM
FAKE!!!!
This is a complete photoshop job. You can tell its a fake because the shadows are all wrong.
This is exactly like that scene in the movie Never Back Down where Max said The other day, I went up to my girlfriend, I said, "Y'know I'd like a little pussy". She said, "Me too, mine's as big as a house!" Then he had to explain that it was because hers was.......as big as a house.
16. formerly SPELLINGNAZI© - February 16, 2009 10:30 PM
@14: Yeah? And? ;)
17. naas - February 16, 2009 11:22 PM
oi2un5 9unp4395h 345n v2n45p9 48h5mn25o h35 vvdf
18. Al Dracone - February 17, 2009 1:25 AM
@16: Give us a break! If you're a millionaire, you don't need a freaking dating site to get laid!
Speaking of witch... Bill gates makes 4 million $ PER NIGHT! That's right: he goes to bed and wakes up 4 million dollars richer. You'd think he'd offer a bigger reward than that. So... until it gets to 250 million, I am NOT turning myself in!
19. Pkitten - February 17, 2009 2:49 AM
@6 I think I just fell in love with you a little for quoting Live Free and Die Hard.
Also I am totally going to get one of those things and fill it will KILLER BEES. Great security plus honey!
20. softlicious - February 17, 2009 7:35 AM
Microsoft is a big joke, just go to
http://www.ubuntu.com/
Microsofts operating system requires huge resources, I'm no computer expert, but if a huge corporation working with the same product for several decades can't make it good something is wrong. I hate Microsoft!
21. Watch - February 17, 2009 8:58 AM
Id love for the worm guy to hack this site and remove all of daisys stupid never back down comments and shut down microsoft then show proof to the world that bill gates didnt invent windows.
22. $.02 and a pocket full of FAH-Q - February 17, 2009 11:49 AM
And yet the shoebox is still full GW... hrm...
I have no issue communicating without the use of profanity. Quite frankly, the english language offers much more colorful adjectives. The point being made is simply that in this country, where this blog is hosted, we have freedom of speech. The same freedom of speech that would protect this blogger (GW) in court. I find it rather disingenuous of him to post NSFW content and genitalia jokes, then censor our comments about them.