Posted on 12/22/2002 12:03:34 PM PST by Asmodeus
ONE of the most destructive computer viruses in the world started from a semi-detached house in the genteel resort of Llandudno.
From his pebble-dashed family home, 22-year-old cyber vandal Simon Vallor dispatched three viruses which dug their way into e-mail address books across the world.
One virus alone spread to 27,000 computers in 42 different countries, causing incalculable economic damage to businesses.
North Wales Police arrested Vallor in February after receiving information from the FBI in the US, where the viruses wreaked havoc.
At Bow Street Magistrates Court, in central London, Vallor yesterday admitted spreading the virus.
He was released on bail, but experts said yesterday he could face up to five years in jail when he is sentenced at Southwark Crown Court. A date has yet to be set.
Vallor is only the second person in the UK to be caught creating a major computer virus. The first, in 1995, was given an 18-month prison sentence.
Vallor may also have ruined his chances of working for any computer companies, according to industry experts.
Young people convicted of hacking into websites are often engaged by organisations which want to test and improve their security systems.
But creating a virus is easy - some 800 new ones are released each month.
Vallor's viruses were first seen on December 5 last year. They were disseminated in e-mails entitled GoKar, Redesi and Admirer.
As soon as the e-mail was opened, the virus immediately infected the complete address list of each user.
Audrey Hawks, prosecuting, told the court, "The virus was detected in 42 countries and there have been 27,000 hits. At one point it was rated the third most destructive virus worldwide."
Scotland Yard's computer crime unit was told a person using the name Gobo had claimed to have written a virus named GoKar and spread it. A number of "postings" - e-mail messages - claiming author-ship of the virus were placed in a chatroom called Team Virus.
Police officers obtained a search warrant for Vallor's address at Fairways, Llandudno. He was traced via a BT internet access account registered at his home.
Vallor, a DJ and website designer, wrote on his own website this week, "Hopefully I'll get bailed again to appear in front of crown after New Years, I'd obviously wish for a suspened (sic) sentence but I thinks that's asking too much."
The first UK prosecution for distributing a computer virus was of Christopher Pile, who called himself the Black Baron. He wrote and sent out the Smeg virus in 1995 and received an 18-month custodial sentence for what the courts estimated as £500,000 worth of damage.
A more recent case in the US involved David L Smith, author of the Melissa worm. This was the first successful mass-mailing worm and inspired a generation of virus writers. It caused £55m of damage.
Smith was sentenced to 20 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Vallor, who was educated at Llandudno's Ysgol John Bright, was charged with writing and distributing three separate viruses of the same type - a mass mailer which spreads across the internet through e-mails.
All were picked up by the FBI. The bureau's office in Baltimore then passed on details to Scotland Yard's computer crime unit and Vallor was traced and arrested on February 14.
Det Sgt Steve Santorelli, of Scotland Yard, said, "The subject line in the infected e-mails was quite cleverly written to induce the recipient to open the attachment.
"We strongly urge all computer users never to open any attachments sent with e-mails they aren't expecting - in addition to installing good anti-virus software and keeping it updated."
Vallor had left clues to his identity and those of his friends in the virus codes, making him easy to trace.
He was charged under section three of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and his computer was seized.
His tempting catchlines included, "If I were God and didn't believe in myself would it be blasphemy?" and, "Just one kiss will make it better."
And the text included the lines, "Happy Birthday. Yeah OK, so it's not yours it's mine. Still cause for a celebration though, check out the details I attached." Another started, "Hey, they say love is blind."
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