Rewards shift nature of worm hunt

Q&A The Sasser computer worm may mark a turning point in law enforcement's ability to catch and prosecute computer virus authors.

The reason: enticed by a $250,000 (£137,178) reward, an informant came forward to leak information on the person who wrote and released Sasser. It's exactly what Microsoft, which agreed to the bounty as part of its antivirus reward program, hoped would happen, said Hemanshu Nigam, an attorney for the Microsoft branch administering the program.

Nigam, originally from India, worked as a prosecutor in the Los Angeles District Attorney's office and later in the Department of Justice. Initially, he prosecuted child pornographers and others who exploit children on the Net. He then joined the Justice Department's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section but left to work for the Motion Picture Association of America to help the group enforce its copyright claims against digital pirates. He moved to Microsoft to work on similar issues and also to focus on criminal complaints: For instance, when scammers use Hotmail or MSN.com to engage in criminal activity, he supports law enforcement in identifying people and providing information, as required by law.

As the lead attorney in Microsoft's Digital Integrity Group, Nigam is again on the enforcement trail. He recently spoke with ZDNet UK sister site CNET News.com about Microsoft's ongoing battle with virus writers.

Q: What is the aim of the antivirus reward program?
A: The antivirus reward program is designed to provide incentives for law enforcement to get information so that somebody who is a witness of a crime comes forward. At the same time, people should understand we are saying that launchers of malicious code ought to think twice before they hit that send button or release that code online. We are hoping that there are citizens who will step up and do the right thing, providing information if they have it. We are also hoping that those who are thinking about doing something that is not the right thing -- that they are going to think twice and stop before doing it.

Has it been successful so far?
People have been providing leads to law enforcement ever since we launched the reward program. What law enforcement authorities are telling us is that they are pleased with the leads that they are getting.