(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Software giant Microsoft (www.microsoft.com) reported on Thursday that it has teamed with a group of academic and Internet community leaders to create a “coordinated global response” to the Conficker worm and botnet.
The Conficker worm first surfaced in October of 2008, and targets Windows machines. Compromised machines are used as part of the botnet. Reports from January say the virus has infected as many as 15 million pcs.
Microsoft has patched Windows to protect against the worm, but a dangerous number of PCs remain unpatched, according to estimates. The company’s website includes an information section on the Conficker worm.
Botnets have become a staple in the world of spamming, phishing and other malicious online activity, which spammers, for instance, using botnets to distribute their email messages. Many reports have tied these efforts to organized criminal enterprises.
According to a Microsoft spokesperson, the company has coordinated an effort that includes the work of ICANN and other domain name system operators, along with security researchers, to disable domains targeted by Conficker. The company has also offered a $250,000 reward for information that results in the arrest and conviction of those responsible for launching the code on the Internet.
“As part of Microsoft’s ongoing security efforts, we constantly look for ways to use a diverse set of tools and develop methodologies to protect our customers,” says George Stathakopoulos, general manager of Microsoft’s trustworthy computing group, in a statement. “By combining our expertise with the broader community we can expand the boundaries of defense to better protect people worldwide.”
Some of the groups involved in the effort include Neutar, VeriSign, Afilias, Public Internet Registry, AOL, Symantec, F-Secure and researchers from Georgia Tech.
“The best way to defeat potential botnets like Conficker/Downadup is by the security and domain name system communities working together,” says Greg Rattray, ICANN chief Internet security advisor, quoted in Microsoft’s statement. “ICANN represents a community that’s all about coordinating those kinds of efforts to keep the Internet globally secure and stable.”
Microsoft says its reward offer is intended as recognition of the fact that the Conficker worm is a criminal attack. The company says residents of any country are eligible to receive the reward.
Anybody with information about the worm, says Microsoft, should contact their international law enforcement agencies.
