Microsoft Offers $250,000 To Help Catch Author Of Virus

[Mntsnow]

Microsoft Corp. promised today to pay a $250,000 reward to anyone who helps authorities capture and prosecute the author of a fast-spreading computer virus.
The reward is the third offered so far under a $5 million program Microsoft began in November to help U.S. authorities nab the authors of unusually damaging Internet infections aimed at consumers of the company's software products.

The "MyDoom.B" virus would cause victims to launch an electronic attack next month against Microsoft's own Web site.

"This worm is a criminal attack," said Brad Smith, Microsoft's senior vice president and general counsel. "Microsoft wants to help the authorities catch this criminal."

Read more (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2001846649_webvirus29.html)

[GohanSSJ]

Damn if i only knew the person who did it, i would be very rich now...

[Twiztid Truckie]

Same here gohan....I could definately use the cash (wedding/new baby coming/ need a house) blah, blah, blah.....and the list goes on.

Well, we can dream cant we:)

Truckie:)

[Edsel]

lol..everyone could..its interesting how Microsoft looks to set its own law aside from police work

[BBA]

I dont know who looks worse...SCO or Microsoft. It's pretty obvious that someone inside the unix community is responsible, especially because of targeting those two companies.

BTW: MS isnt making any laws.

[a Bill]

I guess it would have to be someone from the Unix community simply because no one from the windows community knows what's going on anyway, much less be able to program :D

j/k

So far the rumor is that it originated in Russia. I'm thinking that it could still have come from North America since Russian servers aren't known for being secure but who knows?

[BBA]

Originally posted by a Bill
I guess it would have to be someone from the Unix community simply because no one from the windows community knows what's going on anyway, much less be able to program :D

j/k

So far the rumor is that it originated in Russia. I'm thinking that it could still have come from North America since Russian servers aren't known for being secure but who knows?


I would guess it's from North America as well and from someone in the unix community as the virus targeted both SCO and Microsoft. That indicates an immature person who uses unix and just wants to prove a point.

Sad thing is, if the script kiddie keeps this up, it's going to make the entire unix community look bad...until the idiot ends up in jail.

[BBA]

abill...here is where the brains for the virus's come from:


Bill Gates:
"Everybody who had their software completely up-to-date (during the epidemics) was immune to those problems. But only 20 percent of our customers were, so obviously, we weren't doing enough."


Microsoft software architect Chris Anderson:
"Today, virus writers don't find holes," he said. "They just sit back and wait for patches to appear, and then it is a race to write the first virus.

Take the MSBLAST virus for example: MS had a patch for it 4 months before the first virus hit, but very few computers were patched. Then MS came out with another patch for he second wave...but the patch came before the second version did too.

Also, had todays infected systems been up to date, the mydoom virus would not be a threat either. A fact witnessed by very few corporate infections of this supposed threatening virus.

So, looks like your theory on virus writers boils back down to the "MS has a patch, that means I can exploit non-patched systems by making a virus before everyone thinks they need to install the patch"

Doesnt lead much creed to figuring out how to write code...well, script editing...sure :D

[Siliconjunkie]

Originally posted by BBA
Also, had todays infected systems been up to date, the mydoom virus would not be a threat either. A fact witnessed by very few corporate infections of this supposed threatening virus.


I thought that mydoom did not exploit anything other than user stupidity. Trick them into opening an attachement and you don't need a hole...

[davidw]

LOL!

Silly people opening up silly attachments that others warned them about... Oh well... I hate to capitalize on other's misfortunes, but if someone comes knocking on my door... I'm not gonna give them a discount. Now then again, if I charged like Best Buy does, then maybe I could afford to discount my labor.

BBA, you summed it up.