Microsoft has partnered with a broad range of computer several security and Internet governance organizations to offer a $250,000 bounty for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the creator(s) of the Conficker/Downadup worm. The reward is available to residents of any country—at least so far as countries laws permit; Microsoft’s partners in the effort include ICANN, DNS developers, and leading computer security firms. Microsoft is categorizing the Conficker worm as a criminal attack, and sees the $250,000 bounty as a way to put more pressure on online fraudsters and cybercriminals.
