According to Brad Smith, Microsoft Senior Vice President and general council, the reward program is just one of the steps Microsoft is taking to ensure better future security. "We recognize that security is a broad issue and we are committed to addressing this problem by moving forward on multiple fronts."
Keith Lourdeau, Acting Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI's Cyber Division, Bruce Townsend, Deputy Assistant Director of Investigations for the US Secret Service, and Peter Nevitt, Director of Information Systems for Interpol, took part in a joint press conference to announce the bounties.
Interpol is an important player in the newly formed alliance. As Peter Nevitt explains, "Country borders are no longer boundaries. People who write viruses do so often from the safety of their own country, which may not have any laws against it. Interpol currently has 181 member countries (and) each Interpol office has direct links to law enforcement agencies in those countries."
Hemanshu Nigam, corporate attorney in the Digital Integrity Group within Law & Corporate Affairs at Microsoft, noted that, "The reward is initially limited to attacks on Microsoft products. We want to be sure that the Internet experience is safe and secure for all users. We as a company feel it is one of our responsibilities to take the lead in our industry and make that happen for our customers and partners."
Anyone having information leading to the identities of the Blaster.A or Sobig worms is asked to contact their local office of the FBI or Secret Service (if inside the US) or Interpol office (if outside the US). Reports can also be made online at http://www.ifccfbi.gov (inside the US) of www.interpol.int (outside the US).
