May 10 2004
According to unconfirmed reports, the 18-year-old accused of writing and releasing the Sasser worm has confessed to writing both it and the Netsky worm. If so, these two authors are implicated in three of the most prolific worms threatening users. The names of the alleged authors have not been released. However, there are currently no laws in Germany prohibiting writing and releasing of viruses, thus we may find ourselves dealing with yet another Onel de Guzman. Onel admitted writing the Loveletter worm in May 2000 but was never convicted due to a lack of appropriate laws. Of course, it is possible the authors could be extradited to another country that does have applicable laws.
Rumors suggest the alleged Sasser author was arrested following a tip to Microsoft and, if convicted, may entitle the tipster to collect a $250,000 bounty from the software giant.
- Page 1: Alleged worm authors arrested
- Page 2: War-waging worms
- Page 3: But can they be convicted?
