The software giant today announced a $500,000 bounty on the writers of the MSBlaster worm and SoBig email virus, which collectively have cut a destructive path through the worldwide private and public computer sectors and cost users millions of dollars.
"The internet community has grown to face some of the same societal challenges that we face in our hometowns - including thieves, extortionists, con artists, and vandals," a Microsoft spokesperson told XBiz. "Every part of the international Internet community suffers from the criminal act of releasing viruses and other malicious code to businesses, governments, schools, and families at home."
The Microsoft Anti-Virus Reward Program is offering a $250,000 reward for information on each of the identities of the virus creators and is part of a larger $5 million pledge by Microsoft to help the FBI, Secret Service, and Interpol combat future creators and disseminators of destructive computer viruses.
A spokesperson for Microsoft said that the software giant admits to resorting to an "old-fashioned criminal justice tactic to solve a modern-day problem," but that to date, authorities have made little headway in tracking down the authors of the viruses and the trail is growing cold.
"Those who release viruses on the Internet are the saboteurs of cyberspace, and Microsoft wants to help the authorities catch them," said Brad Smith, senior vice president and general counsel for Microsoft.
According to Microsoft's pledge, virus informants will be eligible for the reward regardless of their country of residence and as long as the suspect is found guilty.
Internet users can send tips to any FBI, Secret Service, or Interpol office, or contact them online at the Internet Fraud Complaint Center.
Microsoft's initial focus on MSBlaster and SoBig are because both viruses target weaknesses in the Windows operating system and have proven very costly for Microsoft.
In August of this year, MSBlaster made its worldwide debut across the Internet and immediately impacted hundreds of thousands of computers. Also known as the "Lovesan," the worm was designed to target Microsoft's Windows update site, which provides fixes for vulnerabilities in the operating system and helps protect users against malicious code.
The SoBig virus made its first appearance in January of this year by attacking individual machines and emailing itself to each email address in the computer's contact list.
The authors of the B and C variants of MSBlaster have so far been arrested, but the author of the original code remains at large. No arrests have been made in connection with the SoBig virus.