Microsoft dangles $250,000 carrot for capture of Conficker creator

by Stevie Smith - Feb 13 2009, 10:23

Having caused something of an online ruckus since making its first malicious appearance in October of 2008, the infamous Conficker worm has gone on to infect millions of vulnerable systems worldwide.

The destructive actions of its creators have now resulted in Conficker being labelled as a criminal attack by Microsoft Corp., which has this week revealed it is offering a sizeable dollar amount for the apprehension of those responsible.

Specifically, American software giant Microsoft Corp. has said the individual(s) behind Conficker need to be held accountable and, by way of providing an incentive towards the attainment of loose-lipped information, the Redmond-based titan has announced a massive $250,000 USD reward.

Speaking with the BBC news site, George Stathakopulos of Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computer Group said the software company is “not prepared to sit back and let this kind of activity go unchecked.”

In addressing Conficker’s creators directly, Mr. Stathakopulos went on to say that Microsoft’s customers had been exposed to “significant pain” because of the invasive worm and that Microsoft “will do everything [it] can to help with your arrest.” 

According to figures put forth by Arbor Networks, as many as 12 million unprotected computers around the world could have already fallen into the clutches of the Conficker worm.

In order to stand a better chance of avoiding worms such as Conficker, computer users would be well advised to make sure they are running on updated anti-Virus and/or Internet protection software, and are also completely up to speed with the latest Microsoft update (MS08-067) for their operating systems.

The Tech Herald: Conficker - Eight million infections and counting

The Tech Herald: Facts and information on the Conficker worm (Update)

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