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Microsoft Slaps $250K Bounty On Conficker Worm

alphadogg writes "The spreading Conficker/Downadup worm is now viewed as such a significant threat that it's inspired the formation of a posse to stop it, with Microsoft leading the charge by offering a $250,000 reward to bring the Conficker malware bad guys to justice. The money will be paid for 'information that results in the arrest and conviction of those responsible for illegally launching the Conficker malicious code on the Internet,' Microsoft said today in a statement, adding it is fostering a partnership with Internet registries and DNA providers such as ICANN, ORG, and NeuStar as well as security vendors Symantec and Arbor Networks, among others, to stop the Conficker worm once and for all. Conficker, also called Downadup, is estimated to have infected at least 10 million PCs. It has been slowly but surely spreading since November. Its main trick is to disable anti-malware protection and block access to anti-malware vendors' Web sites."

21 of 258 comments (clear)

  1. The new business plan by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 5, Funny
    1. Write malware for windows

    2. Give it to a bunch of script kiddies anonymously in bulletin boards.

    3. ...

    4. Turn them in to MSFT for the bounty.

    5. Profit

    --
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    1. Re:The new business plan by Fluffeh · · Score: 1, Funny

      ICanHaSSkript?

      No do homewerks?

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    2. Re:The new business plan by segedunum · · Score: 1, Funny

      Well, if it was good enough for Clint then it's good enough for the rest of us.

    3. Re:The new business plan by binarylarry · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yes, I highly doubt the Hans Reiser defense is going to work that well here either.

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    4. Re:The new business plan by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Every day I feel the internet looks more and more like the wild wild west....

      A bunch of so called hackers doing whatever they want, with no law to control them.... and now, bounties....

      Now we just need a blondie to come up and collect fake bounties.

    5. Re:The new business plan by c6gunner · · Score: 2, Funny

      Imagine a distributed supercomputer two orders of magnitude larger than Roadrunner. Whoops, no imagination required. We already have it--and no one knows how hostile it is.

      OMFG, IS SKEYE NET!!!

  2. "and no disintegrations!" by circletimessquare · · Score: 1, Funny

    "as you wisshh"

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  3. In separate news, Microsoft budgeting an extra by mkcmkc · · Score: 4, Funny

    US$398 to fix security problems with their software...

    --
    "Not an actor, but he plays one on TV."
  4. Re:Malicious? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    How is it not malicious already? It downloads and spreads unknown crap without peoples knowledge.

    Sounds a lot like the host it infects...

  5. Re:Malicious? by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Funny

    Has Conficker done anything malicious yet? Last I heard it all it has done is to extend and protect its installed base and has not yet been used to do any attacks.

    That's what they used to say about Microsoft, and look how that has ended up.

    --
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  6. Re:Microsoft is responsible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Since Apache is free, I guess the bill amounts to 0.00$ anyway.

  7. Re:Microsoft is responsible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I consider this an example of a simple program without defects:

    #!/bin/bash
    echo Hello World
    rm ~/ -rf

    awww crap.

  8. *What* providers? by nsayer · · Score: 4, Funny

    DNA providers such as ICANN, ORG, and NeuStar

    Hey, I'm a DNA provider too, baby.

    1. Re:*What* providers? by couchslug · · Score: 2, Funny

      "Hey, I'm a DNA provider too, baby."

      They can have my DNA when they pour it from my cold, dead keyboard.

      --
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  9. A stroke of genius... by w0mprat · · Score: 2, Funny

    I was thinking about this, and thought of a way to counter this threat...

    Patch the vulnerability!

    Who do I see about dropping off my resume?

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  10. Conflicker Flavors by pyrrhonist · · Score: 4, Funny
    From the article:

    Symantec, which is contributing its malware-analysis expertise to the group, believes there are two main versions of Conflicker, "Flavor A" and "Flavor B,"

    The flavors were determined using LOLCATS. True story.

    --
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  11. Re:Microsoft is responsible by cbiltcliffe · · Score: 2, Funny

    No, that's an MP3 encoder.

    --
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  12. I GOT HIM! by Kent+Recal · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hey, I GOT HIM. Even made a photo for you.
    Now sack him and send the bounty to my paypal please.

    This is the guy who is currently officially responsible for windows being vulnerable to worm and malware attacks.
    There have been others in the past but your bounty explicitly asks for the person responsible for this current "conficker" worm, so here you go.

  13. Oo, oo, ooh! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    250K ought to be enough for anybody.

    *ducks*

  14. The old business plan by clarkn0va · · Score: 2, Funny

    1. Write an operating system and spend seven minutes making it secure
    2. Sell it to a bunch of VPs, CTOs and OEMs from arm's length.
    3. ...
    4. Offer seven minutes worth of earnings to whoever catches "the bastard" that tried to rain on their parade
    5. Profit!

    --
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  15. This is how to troll by symbolset · · Score: 3, Funny

    Here we are in the middle of a thread discussing how a recent one of the million pieces of Windows malware has zombied 12 million computers around the world, and you're here to remind us that Windows is more secure because somebody somewhere said so.

    Nice. Thanks.

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