Microsoft looking to lure expert hackers with $150K reward

Microsoft looking to lure expert hackers with $150K reward

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BOSTON — Microsoft Corp. is looking to recruit computer geeks in its ongoing efforts to protect Windows PCs from attacks, offering rewards of as much as $150,000 to anybody who helps identify and fix major security holes in its software.

Microsoft unveiled the rewards program, one of the most generous in the high-tech industry to date, Wednesday as it sought ways to prevent sophisticated attackers from subverting new security technologies it has introduced in the latest versions of the Windows operating system.

(Disclosure: Microsoft publishes MSN News.)

The program is open to computer experts as young as 14, though minors need permission from their parents. Residents of countries under U.S. sanctions, such as Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria, are banned from the program.

The sheer size of the bonus is likely to grab the attention of the hacking community, though claiming the big money will require them to do battle with Microsoft's latest anti-hacking technology and then detail their approach.