Mon 2 Feb 2004
SCO Group (SCOX:Nasdaq - commentary - research) was forced to set up a new temporary Web site after the so-called “Mydoom” computer virus morphed into a massive denial-of-service attack on the software company.
SCO was directing customers and vendors to the new site and offering a $250,000 reward for information on the hack, on top of a separate $250,000 reward offered by Microsoft (MSFT:Nasdaq - commentary - research).
“We expect hundreds of thousands of attacks on www.sco.com because of these viruses,” SCO said in a release. “Starting on Feb. 1 and running through Feb. 12, SCO has developed layers of contingency plans to communicate with our valued customers, resellers, developers, partners and shareholders.”
SCO has been the target of much Internet sabotage, having earned the wrath of hackers because of its legal efforts to take control of the Linux operating system. SCO owns the Unix code and claims that gives it a royalty right to Linux, an open-source operating system that was popularized in the mid-1990s as a free alternative to Micosoft Windows.
SCO’s shares were recently up 13 cents, or about 1%, to $14.50.