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Microsoft Offers $250,000 Reward for Conficker Criminals

by Terrence O'Brien on February 13, 2009 at 11:36 AM

Microsoft Offers $250,000 Reward for Arrest of Conficker Criminals
So the notorious Conficker/Downadup/Kido has really caught the attention of Microsoft, and pissed off the maker of the target operating system, Windows. Microsoft is offering a $250,000 reward to anyone who can provide information that leads to the arrest of those responsible for coding and spreading the virus.

The worm, which exploits a hole in the Windows operating system to spread over the Internet, has now infected an estimated 12 million PCs. Microsoft clearly has taken the attack seriously (and personally) -- it has enlisted the help of dozens of other organizations, including ICANN, AOL, Symantec, and Georgia Tech, to help thwart the virus and trace its origins.

We'd like to think that the $250 G's might lead to some valuable information about the criminals behind the worm, but we see how well the $50 million reward for information leading to the capture of Bin Laden has worked out.

If you want to know how to protect yourself or clean the pest off your PC check out our article explaining what Conficker is and how to get rid of it. [From: CNET]

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Tags: conficker, malware, microsoft, reward, safety, security, top, virus

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