Microsoft may get 'Slammed' in Korea

A South Korean rights group may take Microsoft to task for the damage caused by the Slammer worm last month.

The People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) is considering a class-action suit against Microsoft for not doing its utmost to prevent the widespread devastation of the bug, the Korea Times reported.

Slammer, also known as the Sapphire worm and SQLExp, exploits vulnerabilities in Microsoft SQL 2000 Web servers and causes increased traffic between servers.

This heightened data transfer crippled Internet networks worldwide two weeks ago, with Korea bearing the brunt of the damage as Asia's most wired nation.

"Although Microsoft said it issued warnings about the worm through e-mails and other public notices, we do not believe the company performed its duty to the fullest, considering it had a list of all SQL Server users," a PSPD representative said.

The group intends to base its case on a product liability law that holds the manufacturer responsible for property damage inflicted by product flaws.

PSPD added it has garnered support for the lawsuit from more than 3,000 broadband subscribers in Korea.

When contacted, a Microsoft Asia-Pacific representative said the company could not comment on "what looks like speculation" at this stage.

CNETAsia's Winston Chai reported from Singapore.