Up to $5million Reward from Microsoft

matauri · #1 (**permalink**) 01-03-2004, 11:32 AM

In Oct/Nov the US office of Microsoft started the Anti-Virus Reward Program providng rewards of up to (US)$5 million to anyone who provides information to help catch troublemakers who launch viruses & other IT security threats.

Initially funded by Microsoft with US$5 million, the Anti-Virus Reward Program will help the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service, in coordination with Interpol, to identify and arrest those who commit crimes by illegally unleashing malicious viruses and worms on the Internet. In particular, Microsoft is offering two rewards of $250,000 each for information that results in the arrest and conviction of those responsible for launching the MSBlast.A worm and Sobig virus.

Hemanshu Nigam, corporate attorney in the Digital Integrity Group within Law & Corporate Affairs at Microsoft, with details on it. FULL DETAILS

Quote:

Is this aimed at malicious code that attacks Microsoft products, or any malicious code?

Nigam: The reward is initially limited to attacks on Microsoft products. We want to be sure that the Internet experience is safe and secure for all users. We as a company feel it is one of our responsibilities to take the lead in our industry and make that happen for our customers and partners.

There are an estimated 200 to 300 new viruses discovered every month. So we’ll be looking, on a continuing basis, at various criteria when deciding which worms and viruses merit offering a reward. One of the many factors currently considered by Microsoft is the effect or impact the virus has on consumers and businesses; another is the threat level it is assigned by anti-virus companies.

What are the roles of the participating law enforcement agencies relative to that of Microsoft?

Nigam: We’re working closely with the FBI and U.S. Secret Service, and coordinating with Interpol, on this program. Microsoft’s role in the reward program is to offer the incentive for people to provide lead information by offering a reward. Separately, Microsoft cooperates with law enforcement in its investigations, in accord with existing law. The law-enforcement agencies’ role is to do what they’re really good at doing, which is investigating, identifying, and arresting people who perpetrate crimes using malicious code. The FBI, U.S. Secret Service and Interpol will accept leads that come in from people around the world, and using that information will seek out the perpetrators. In essence, it’s a partnership approach: we present a reward to draw out information, and law-enforcement agencies then use those leads in their investigations. Persons with information should go directly to the law enforcement agencies by calling their local FBI or Secret Service office, or the Interpol National Central Bureau in any of Interpol’s 181 member countries or by going to the FBI Internet Fraud Complaint Center Website

Is this solely a Microsoft program, or do you expect corporate partnership?

Nigam: So far, this particular program is a Microsoft initiative. In order to help people feel safe on the Internet, we feel it’s critical to be a responsible leader in the industry and work with law enforcement, both domestically and globally, to pursue and stop illegal distributors of malicious code. We urge other corporations to consider ways to partner with law enforcement in deterring this illegal and destructive activity that affects the entire technology industry.

I've heard different reactions to this. Some say its MS being self promoting, some say they should be spending some of that money making their own products secure & incorporating anti virus software in their OS's.

Personally I think that if something will help the problem, I'm all for it, I dont care who it is.

What are your thoughts?

Cindy

mikmik · #2 (**permalink**) 01-04-2004, 08:53 PM

Matauri said :

Quote:

Personally I think that if something will help the problem, I'm all for it, I dont care who it is.

What are your thoughts?

And I say :Personally I think that if something will help the problem, I'm all for it, I dont care who it is.

I marvel at the level of complexity and sheer overwhelming intracacy of Windows, and it seem that there is still about 95% of its functions that I don;t even take advantage of. There are millions upon millions of lines of code that are impossible for any less than teams of programmers to think of tackling.

I am not a big 'multi-national corporation' fan in the wildest of circumstances, but I see people getting pretty suspiscious of the motives and actions by microsoft, and I can't help but wonder if they think it easy to do what MS has, let alone be advanced enough to toy with us and 'let things get a little bit out of hand' enough just to hide their plans of owning the world?
What, don't these poeple think it might be that windows etc, and the internet and all the myriad software and hardware combinations might just be a lttle difficult to keep tabs on, let alone predict all the possible shortcomings and vulnerabilities that could result.
QWhat, just because they became very succesful at what they were trying to do now it is their responsibility to look after others first?
I'm not trying to be off the wall sounding here and I just realized I am ranting (LOL) so I am not. I don't like some things they do, I don't like some things a lot of companies pull, but if there are things to get upset about, I like to try and see what is really going on, and when I started to learn what was going on under the hood of my computer, I started to get more and more amazed.
Yup, I want it to last, even if the bad guys are just doing it to save their own throats.