A reward of $250,000 (£172,000) has been offered by Microsoft to find who is behind the Downadup/Conficker virus.
Since it started circulating in October 2008 the Conficker worm has managed to infect millions of computers worldwide.
The software giant is offering the cash reward because it views the Conficker worm as a criminal attack.
"People who write this malware have to be held accountable," said George Stathakopulos, of Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing Group.
He told BBC News the company was "not prepared to sit back and let this kind of activity go unchecked".
"Our message is very clear - whoever wrote this caused significant pain to our customers and we are sending a message that we will do everything we can to help with your arrest," said Mr Stathakopulos.
Arbor Networks said as many as 12 million computers could be affected globally by Conficker/Downadup since it began prowling the web looking for vulnerable machines to infect in October.
Malicious payload
The Conficker worm is a self-replicating program that takes advantage of networks or computers that have not kept up to date with Windows security patches.
It can infect machines via a net connection or by hiding on USB memory drives used to ferry data from one computer to another. Once in a computer it digs deep, setting up defences that make it hard to extract.
The worm slithers through networks by guessing usernames and passwords. Security specialists recommend hardening passwords by mixing in numbers, punctuation marks and capital letters.
The virus reports in to its creators for updates by visiting a web domain. It generates the name of the domain itself using a complicated code which security firms have cracked to track the growth of the worm and block its progress.
Malware such as Downadup can be triggered to steal data or turn control of infected computers over to malicious hackers which pool them into larger armies of so-called botnets.
These networks of compromised machines can be used to send spam, as dead drops for stolen or pirated data and to launch attacks on other machines.
Although Downadup is widespread its creators have yet to activate its payload to steal data or launch other attacks.
It has caused costly headaches for network administrators dealing with users locked out of their accounts when the worm correctly guesses a password.
While Microsoft says it does not know the intention of the worm's creator, it wants to ensure it does not wreak any more havoc.
Experts say users should have up-to-date anti-virus software and install Microsoft's MS08-067 patch - also known as KB958644.
Global response
Microsoft has also partnered with security companies, domain name providers, academia, internet companies such as AOL and others on a co-ordinated global response to the worm.
Also included is the US Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security.
"The best way to defeat potential botnets like Conficker/Downadup is by the security and Domain Name System communities working together," said Greg Rattray, chief internet security adviser at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann).
"Icann represents a community that's all about co-ordinating those kinds of efforts to keep the internet globally secure and stable."
Sasser worm
In 2003 Microsoft created its reward programme with $5m (£3.4m) in funding to help law enforcement agencies bring computer virus and worm authors to justice.
This reward for help in tracking the creators of Downadup is the first time in four years that the company has put up some cash in response to a worm outbreak.
"We have not seen this type of worm or one of its class since 2004," said Mr Stathakopulos.
In 2005 Microsoft paid out $250,000 (£171,000) to two individuals who helped identify the creator of the notorious Sasser worm. The author was arrested and sentenced by the German authorities.
Rewards of $250,000 were offered over three other major computer worm threats known as Blaster, MyDoom and Sobig worms.
Those perpetrators have never been caught.
-------------------------------------------------------
WEBSPACE
COMICBRUSH (www.comicbrush.com)
Are you the kind of person who picks up a newspaper and turns to the comic strip section first?
Well you might be interested to know the internet is the new favourite hangout of the cartoon maker. And now you can join them at comicbrush.com
On this site even those of us with the most rudimentary artistic skills can be a comic strip maker. The simple form-based operation gives you whatever level of control you want when making a comic.
First you need to get some images to work with. The site is not too clear about the artpacks, but you have to download them from the store. It is 600 points for a pack - and the website starts you off with 1,000 points for free.
After that you will have to pay for more images, unless of course you want to upload your own photos. You can use the e-mail or Facebook features to share your interpretation of an event with your friends and family. This is a very nice site that will only get better as more content is added.
-----------------------------------------------
NING(www.ning.com)
Social networking sites are all the rage these days. But what happens if you cannot find a network you want to be social with? Well make your own of course.
Whatever your interest area, Ning makes it so simple to start up a group, you will be wondering why you did not do it sooner. Just pick a name and relevant address, and you can step through the simple process in a matter of minutes.
Add a section for pictures, videos, a forum and even a blog spot so your community can keep in touch. I like the picture uploader applet, because it makes bulk uploads very easy indeed. It runs on java though, so just click to use the simple uploader if you are not happy running that application.
Now all you need is a community to fill your network. Send out invites to anyone you think will be interested. And do not forget to do a good thorough job with your meta tags, if you are expecting people you do not know to find the network and sign up.
---------------------------------------------------
SESAME STREET )www.sesamestreet.org)
It has been a little while since we included anything for our younger viewers. So time to boot the parents off the PC and get ready for some fun and games at sesamestreet.org.
I remember this TV show from when I was growing up. It has been running for such a long time - and yet it still looks just the same - if only that were true of its viewers.
This site totally lives up to its TV parent, and is even better, as you can control and customise the games and videos you watch. To do this, use the really neat playlists function.
All the old favourites are on the site, including Elmo the cookie monster and Oscar the grouch. If your child has a favourite, click the muppets button to build a playlist based just on that character.
Parents should keep and eye on the note pinned to the right of the screening area. There are some nice little tips for you to help extend the educational aspects of the content.
----------------------------------------------------
GOOGLE MAIL(http://mail.google.com)
We covered Gmail more than two years ago, but I have just discovered the Labs feature with a brilliant new addition that could save a lot of embarrassment.
Log in to your Gmail account and click to go into settings, then choose the tab labelled Labs. This page holds a whole list of cool little widgets and gadgets to help your customise and control the mail client.
I love Email Addict - it enforces a 15 minute break from your PC every now and then. But it is Mail Goggles that really tickled me.
Ever had one of those mornings and thought to yourself "why did I send that embarrassing e-mail to my boss, or boyfriend, or ex last night?"
Well with Mail Goggles activated, on particular days of the week set by you, you will have 60 seconds to answer a few simple maths problems before you can hit send.
This is just to make sure your mind is fully fit and awake. Fail and the client will advise you to drink some water and go to bed - brilliant.