Microsoft $250000 for botnet boss
By Sumir Singh

On March 16, 2011, Microsoft announced that the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit, in cooperation with industry and academic experts, had successfully taken down the Win32 / Rustock botnet. At the time of the takedown, Rustock was estimated to have had approximately a million infected computers operating under its control and was sending billions of spam email messages every day.

The Spam messages included fake Microsoft lottery scams and offers for fake – and potentially dangerous – prescription drugs. Microsoft’s proactive and aggressive attack on this spam giant was hailed as a new benchmark in the fight against cyber criminals.

On July 6, 2011, I had written about how Rustock infected computers in India had generated 7.3 million hits to honey pots set up to understand how one of the world’s most sophisticated Botnets worked.

Yesterday, Microsoft announced a huge reward to track down and convict the criminals behind Rustock

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After publishing notices in two Russian newspapers last month to notify the Rustock operators of the civil lawsuit, we (Microsoft) 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).

This reward offer stems from Microsoft’s recognition that the Rustock botnet is responsible for a number of criminal activities and serves to underscore our commitment to tracking down those behind it. While the primary goal for our legal and technical operation has been to stop and disrupt the threat that Rustock has posed for everyone affected by it, we also believe the Rustock bot-herders should be held accountable for their actions.
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