Nice work Sven.
Posted on 09/09/2004 6:14:26 PM PDT by ScuzzyTerminator
Teenager Charged With Creating Sasser
Prosecutors in Verden, Germany, indicted an 18-year-old student this week for allegedly creating the Sasser worm that crashed hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide after spreading at lighting speed over the Internet.
Informants, seeking a $250,000 reward from Microsoft, tipped off the U.S. software giant to Jaschan.
He was arrested on May 7 after confessing to German crime officials that he originally wanted to create a virus, Netsky, to remove two other viruses, MyDoom and Bagle, from infected computers. After developing several versions of Netsky, he created Sasser, according to the officials.
Sasser didn't require users to receive an e-mail message or open a file to be infected. Instead, just having a vulnerable Windows machine connected to the Internet was enough to get infected.
Sasser exploited a hole in a component of Windows called the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service, or LSASS. On April 13, Microsoft had released a software patch, MS04-011, which plugs the LSASS hole, but many companies and individuals had not installed it in time to prevent the Sasser worm affecting their systems.
The indictment papers list 173 witnesses. Prosecutors say 143 victims had filed charges, claiming damages of $158,000.
But because many businesses and individuals seldom report such damages, the actual figure could be in the millions, a spokesperson at the Verden prosecutors' office says.
Computer sabotage carries a maxim sentence of 5 years, according to the spokesperson. "But considering that this young person had no previous criminal offenses, a 5-year sentence is illusionary," he says.
A date for the trial has yet to be set, the spokesperson says.
Is he also charged with creating a "dafficit"?
Little bast*** ought to get the 5 years anyhow. A slap on the hand tells others it's only a joke.
Nice work Sven.
Locked in a cell with a couple of 300 pound "girlyboys" will introduce this little snot to some REAL virus....
Semper Fi
LOL! Thanks for that funny reminder.
The number one reason why the US forces should have pulled out of Germany a long time ago: Germany has lots of bored teenagers with computers.
It's intent. It's not a crime to write a program. It's criminal, however, when you write and release one that is designed to destroy data, to prevent the ability to do business, to deny service, etc. And, by the way, you are aware that these virus' probably take quite a toll on our Defense centers, aren't you?
You want to protest lousy security on MS, program your viruses to only launch on their computers. But stop ****ing up the systems used by people who are just trying to make it day to day, or small businesses who can't afford an IT guy full time or cannot afford to hire "Geeks R Us" every other week.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.