Federal officials say they can track down the authors of outbreak viruses like Code Red and SirCam with the help of security experts and technology, but some contend that finding those behind the malicious code depends mostly on whether they talk or not.

One expert says investigators often rely on the 'egos of virus writers' to provide clues to the authorship of Internet bugs. An official with the National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC), a computer arm of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), said recently that law enforcement is serious about finding the virus writers, calling international transmission of the widespread Code Red and SirCam computer viruses a felony and a major offense. Vigilinx director of intelligence Jerry Freese told NewsFactor Network that it would be difficult to find the author of the Code Red given that no one has claimed responsibility or bragged about the destructive virus, estimated by one analyst to be the most expensive in Internet history. The government is confident that with the help of 4,000 security professionals worldwide, law enforcement will catch the people behind the Code Red and SirCam viruses, adding that it is only a matter of time. Some experts say it is possible to review server and firewall logs to determine where computers were first infected, but call that an enormous task. While security experts and law enforcement try to piece together the trail of Code Red and SirCam, the consensus is that virus fighters are probably not dealing with amateur "script-kiddie" hackers. Some reports indicate that the FBI, working with Interpol as well as security companies around the world, believes organized crime or terrorists are behind the viruses, which might be a diversion from other infrastructure attacks.