I assume that the people here will have very strong opinions on this subject. I think this is a really good idea and am glad Microsoft is doing something to fix the problem of viruses. What do you all think. This article is from BBC News accessiable at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3244263.stm
Here is the article
Anti-virus fight gets cash boost
A $5m reward fund has been set up by Microsoft to help track down people who unleash damaging computer viruses.
The first rewards on offer will give payments of $250,000 to anyone with information about the creators of the MSBlast or Sobig viruses.
Both these viruses struck earlier this year and wrought havoc on home and business internet users.
The fund is backed by the FBI, US Secret Service and Interpol who will act on any leads the rewards generate.
Dead end
Microsoft has set up the Anti-Virus Reward Program in an attempt to improve the arrest records of law enforcement agencies charged with tracking down virus writers.
Despite the fact that there are thousands of viruses in circulation, a small fraction of those that write them have been caught, arrested and convicted.
Microsoft hopes that the offer of cash will loosen the lips of anyone with information.
One American youth has been charged in connection with a variant of the MSBlast worm but the originator of that malicious program has yet to be found.
The Sobig 'F' variant was one of the most successful viruses ever
The MSBlast worm struck in late summer and was designed to recruit PCs to launch an attack on Microsoft's Windows Update site.
The authors of the Sobig virus are also being sought. That program is currently in its sixth incarnation and is thought to be the work of a guerrilla spamming outfit that plans to use it to spread their unwanted e-mail messages.
The 'F' version of Sobig, which struck in August, was one of the fastest spreading viruses ever.
Mail filtering firm MessageLabs stopped more than 1m copies of Sobig F when the virus was at its most ubiquitous.
Microsoft said that the cash rewards will be available to people from any country because everyone has suffered as viruses like these have spread.
"Malicious worms and viruses are criminal attacks on everyone who uses the internet," said Microsoft spokesman Brad Smith.
Those who release viruses on the internet are the saboteurs of cyberspace," he said, "and Microsoft wants to help the authorities catch them."
Anyone with information about the writers of damaging viruses is urged to get in touch with the law enforcement agencies backing the reward program.
The cash will only be handed over if the information provided results in someone being arrested and convicted for creating the viruses.
Anything that will help put parasitic, wise-ass virus writers closer to a federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison is good in my book.
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I'm studying for the CPA exam. Have a nice summer, and if you're down just sit back and realize that Joe is off somewhere, doing much worse than you are.
I would also appreciate it is MS made a step towards making their software a little better at protecting against malicious code, say, by actually implementing decent security measures.
Admiral Valdemar wrote:I would also appreciate it is MS made a step towards making their software a little better at protecting against malicious code, say, by actually implementing decent security measures.
True. But if they want to help jail deserving hackers I'm all for that too.
There will be more where they came from though. The fact remains despite the bounty that it is difficult to nab the crackers. Some of the money would better be spent hiring auditors on MS code.
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This would only work if the virus writers tell lots of people about their exploits. They're nothing if not good at covering their tracks; any virus writer can simply upload his virus to the Internet from an Internet cafe after paying cash, and there's no electronic trace whatsoever. And do you think that someone who takes these kinds of precautions will run around blabbing to everyone he knows about his exploits?
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Darth Wong wrote:This would only work if the virus writers tell lots of people about their exploits. They're nothing if not good at covering their tracks; any virus writer can simply upload his virus to the Internet from an Internet cafe after paying cash, and there's no electronic trace whatsoever. And do you think that someone who takes these kinds of precautions will run around blabbing to everyone he knows about his exploits?
To be frank, I think it will find a decent percentage. A chunk.. Perhaps not the majority, but certainly a non-ignorable chunk.. are done by little pissants who do it to brag, because they think it makes them 'l33t'.
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It's kind of amusing that Microsoft, failing to successfully address the most glaring security problems in Windows, has fallen to trying to nab the people who exploit such "features."
I think it's called "curing the symptom, not the disease."
Apple Fanatic: Windows sucks. You never see viruses for Mac OS.
l33t h4xx0r: That's because I want to affect more than six people per continent!
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Darth Wong wrote:This would only work if the virus writers tell lots of people about their exploits. They're nothing if not good at covering their tracks; any virus writer can simply upload his virus to the Internet from an Internet cafe after paying cash, and there's no electronic trace whatsoever. And do you think that someone who takes these kinds of precautions will run around blabbing to everyone he knows about his exploits?
Crayz9000 wrote:It's kind of amusing that Microsoft, failing to successfully address the most glaring security problems in Windows, has fallen to trying to nab the people who exploit such "features."
I think it's called "curing the symptom, not the disease."
Another variation of pushing the blame on somone else
