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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."
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
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
Until you know who launched this, under what circumstances, and in which jurisdiction, don't assume that it's illegal. In other words, innocent until proven guilty.
These guys abuse a problem but they also raise awareness for a security problem Microsoft has put into existance through its operating system software. This company should pay and offer its customer to remove the worm for them and compensate them for all the costs caused by their defect software. The guys just exploited the weakness.
Though Microsoft offered a patch I don't remember that Microsoft actively informed its customers about the defects of its software and apologised to me or that my hardware vendor recalled the hardware.
Microsoft, release a mandatory update to turn off auto-run/play, and show a reoccuring opt-out prompt on login that explains that auto-run is turned off, and the risks of turning it back on.
At least make XP's version of the patch that allows GPO auto-run disable to work properly a mandatory update. If no one's in a GPO, it won't break anything. If they are in a GPO that turns autorun off, then it should be turning auto-run off!
'information that results in the arrest and conviction of those responsible for illegally launching the Conficker malicious code on the Internet,'
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. It may yet only be used for SETI@Home, Folding@Home, winning a decryption contest, or analyze other spam-producing bot nets to identify their controllers and get them shut down.
Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
10 million zombie PC's are worth more than $250K
The 10 million zombies may be worth much more than $250k to the person that controls them, but they are worth nothing to the guy that lives down the hall from the person that controls them, so he might be quite happy to pick up the money if he knows something.
US$398 to fix security problems with their software...
"Not an actor, but he plays one on TV."
DNA providers such as ICANN, ORG, and NeuStar
Hey, I'm a DNA provider too, baby.
The worm authors made just one mistake... they were far too successful. They wanted a botnet. Maybe a few thousand computers. Maybe 10 - 20 thousand.
Instead, they wrote a fast spreading worm that infected millions of computers.
What's the difference? The guys who infect 10,000 computers are small fries, and no one is going after them. Infect millions of computers though, and every computer crime agency on the planet will be after you...
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.
Show me on the doll where his noodly appendage touched you.
The MS bounty program has been running since 2003. Thus far they have paid out only one award of $250.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
This program, which has been in place since 2003, has paid out a grand total of $250. All of it in one whopping check to the college mates of the Sasser programmer. Presumably they split it and bought some beer. The program manager must be quite proud of himself.
In related news, Microsoft is working with ICANN and others to prevent the registration of the domain this thing calls home to. It probably hasn't even occurred to them that the programmers ran their random name generator out a long way in advance, registered the domain in the name of some perfectly innocent third party long ago and that they're too late because launch day for downadup is tomorrow since they always kick these things off of the eve of a holiday weekend.
If you admin Windows desktops, I wouldn't invest too much in your plans for this weekend.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
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.
Help stamp out iliturcy.