November 6, 2003 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Software giant Microsoft Corporation (microsoft.com) said yesterday it is creating a $5 million reward program that will help law enforcement officials identify and convict those who are responsible for illegally releasing worms, viruses and other malicious programs on the Internet.
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The company said the first two rewards offered would be for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the spread of the MSBlast.A worm and the SoBig virus unleashed earlier this year.
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The rewards are for $250,000 each. Residents of any country are responsible for the rewards.
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The company said the anti-virus reward program is aiding the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Secret Service and Interpol in their efforts to catch those who perpetrate cyberspace crimes.
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?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,? the company said.
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The cost of these attacks to businesses has been estimated in the range of millions and even billions of dollars.
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Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft has consistently been the target of virus attacks over the last year.
