Microsoft bounty on virus writers
November 5, 2003Ah, now here’s a good use for some of that $40 billion cash hoard that Microsoft is sitting on–they’re offering large bounties for information leading to the arrest of the folks who unleashed a couple of viruses. Viruses targeted at weaknesses in Microsoft software.
I think they should also offer bounties to find the Microsoft product manager who let those weaknesses get into the software in the first place. Clean their own house first, then worry about going after the virus writers.
I’m not saying they shouldn’t pursue the criminals–those people who unleashed the viruses definitely deserve any and all punishments the law allows. But Microsoft needs to clean up their act and make their systems safer for us all. You don’t see electric companies letting live wires hang around on the ground, yet Microsoft creates software that has huge security holes that any smart teenage hacker can drive thru.
Like it or not Microsoft is a big utility–they’re providing a service we all rely on. They need to be held accountable for making that service safer.
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