Conficker worm baffles investigators

NEW YORK, March 19 (UPI) -- Investigators say they are still baffled by a computer virus so gnarly that U.S. software giant Microsoft Corp. has put a price on the author's head.

When investigators moved in close by gaining control of 250 Internet domain names the program was designed to leverage to forward instructions to infected computers, the author of the virus, known as the Conficker worm, upped the ante, expanding the program to include 50,000 Internet domain targets, The New York Times reported Thursday.

Some suspect the virus is designed to imitate a system called cloud computing, by which companies, such as Microsoft and Amazon sell computing power over the Internet, the Times said.

Investigators far and wide tackling the problem -- known collectively as the Conficker Cabal -- surmise the virus is designed to send instructions to infected computers April 1.

On the attack, the program is designed to link infected computers into one powerful computer called a botnet. These are designed to send millions of spam e-mail to Internet users across the system, the Times said.

Microsoft a month ago offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the Conficker's author or authors.