…“I love my wife & baby :-)”… or so claims the Welchi worm author. He loved them so much he dedicated an Internet worm to them that chewed up bandwidth, unceremoniously rebooted servers, and opened ports on the affected systems leaving them vulnerable to further compromise. Bet baby is going to love hearing that story when he’s being bounced on daddy’s knee. Thanks to folk’s like “daddy”, the Internet his baby might hope to use one day is becoming an increasingly hostile place.
Then there’s Jeffrey Lee Parson, who allegedly admitting creating the Blaster.B variant that affected an estimated 7000 Internet users. Dubbed a virus writing loser by the media, the Parsons claim there is no validity to reports he had engaged in reckless behavior or rumors that he was no stranger to law enforcement. In a special NBC News report, Jeffrey claims, “I’m the complete opposite of the way I’ve been portrayed in the press. I’m not a loner. I have a very supportive close group of friends. I’m not reckless, I don’t do drugs, smoke or drink. This is the first time I have ever had a run in with the law. It’s hurtful to see the accounts of me. I’m not depressed, embarrassed about my weight, or a misfit. ”
But he is a virus writer. A virus writer who peddled IRCBots and Trojans on websites that served as little more than watering holes for script kiddies. A virus writer who hosted and distributed malicious code via his website, t33kid.com. A site so well known that when other script kiddies trolled for malicious code, t33kid.com was offered up as a viable source.
In the same interview, Parson denies his responsibility, claiming, “The malicious attack was brought forth from the original virus.” It seems Parson is peddling his tale of woe to the media in much the same way he peddled viruses online – without apology. The fact is, Parson’s version was more malicious than the original Blaster worm. His version of the worm included a remote access Trojan that further compromised the infected system’s security.
Onel de Guzman, notorious for writing and releasing the Loveletter worm, claimed he did so to obtain free Internet access. In exchange for the stolen usernames and passwords, de Guzman left behind permanently damaged files that had been overwritten by his creation.
Collectively, these miscreants defy the typical stereotype that alleges all virus writers are hormonally-challenged teens with no girlfriends and no life. After all, one is married with child, another is the stereotypical script kiddie, and still another a college graduate (with a girlfriend) from the Philippines. But they do have one thing in common - narcissism.
The American Heritage dictionary defines narcissism in part as “a psychological condition characterized by self-preoccupation (and) lack of empathy.” A fitting description for virus writers who create tools that wreak havoc on others with no thought or concern for the affected parties. It is also a fitting description for any immature individual who lacks the foresight to judge what impact their actions may have on others. It might even be argued by some that a certain amount of narcissistic behavior is reasonable and expected during some stage of development. Regardless, when self-absorption and a desire to gratify one’s own needs leads to deliberate destruction of other people’s property, such behavior is condemnable.
