Microsoft posts $250k reward for botnet operators

Software giant Microsoft has offered a $250,000 (P10.76 million) reward for information leading to the operators of the Rustock botnet, which had been linked to a massive spam (unsolicited email) operation. Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit senior attorney Richard Boscovich said this is a follow-up from last March 16, when Microsoft and its partners took the network offline. "Today, we take our pursuit a step further. After publishing notices in two Russian newspapers last month to notify the Rustock operators of the civil lawsuit, we decided to augment our civil discovery efforts to identify those responsible for controlling the notorious Rustock botnet by issuing a monetary reward in the amount of $250,000 for new information that results in the identification, arrest and criminal conviction of such individual(s)," Boscovich said in a blog post. Presently, he said Microsoft has been gathering strong evidence to follow this case "wherever it leads us." Microsoft also remains committed to help people regain control of their Rustock-infected computers, he added. He said the botnet is behind a number of criminal activities, and going after those behind it "serves to underscore our commitment to tracking down those behind it." Boscovich added that, while their primary goal had been to stop and disrupt the threat from Rustock, its bot-herders "should be held accountable for their actions." He said that Rustock was a notorious spam giant, capable of sending as many as 30 billion spam mails a day. It was also linked to "advertising counterfeit or unapproved versions of pharmaceuticals," and violating the trademarks of pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer and Microsoft. On the other hand, he said that while Rustock's infection base has been cut in half since it was taken down, hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide remain infected. Boscovich said residents of any country are eligible for the reward as the botnet affected the Internet community worldwide. "Anyone with information on the Rustock botnet or its operators should contact Microsoft at avreward@microsoft.com," he said. — TJD, GMA News