G
Guest
The teenager who created the "Sasser" computer worm that
created havoc as it raced around the world last year was
convicted Friday on charges including computer sabotage
and given a suspended sentence, a court official said.
Sven Jaschan, 19, was found guilty of computer sabotage
and illegally altering data, said Katharina Kruetzfeld, a
spokeswoman for the court in the northwestern town of
Verden. He was given a suspended sentence of one year and
nine months.
Jaschan also must perform 30 hours of community service at
a hospital or home for the elderly, but will not have to
pay court costs.
Jaschan admitted to creating the worm at the beginning of
his trial Tuesday - reiterating a confession to
authorities at the time of his arrest in May 2004.
Sasser exploited a flaw in Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 2000
and Windows XP operating systems. It caused infected
computers to crash and reboot, making it impossible to
work on them. The worm snarled hundreds of thousands of
computers and caused Internet traffic to slow. German
prosecutors estimate that damages ran into the millions of
dollars.
Following the conviction, Microsoft said two people who
had helped identify Jaschan would share a $250,000 reward.
Jaschan was arrested at his family's home after Microsoft
received a tip from an informant seeking a reward, though
prosecutors later said the informant was among five people
under investigation as possible accomplices. Microsoft did
not identify the reward recipients or say whether they
were among the five or included the original informant.
Authorities who questioned Jaschan said they got the
impression his motive was to gain fame as a programmer. He
was arrested sitting at his computer at the house of his
mother, who runs a computer store in the small northern
town of Waffensen.
The teenager has told officials his original intention was
to create a virus, "Netsky A," that would combat
the "Mydoom" and "Bagle" viruses, removing them from
infected computers. That led him to develop the Netsky
virus further - and to modify it to create Sasser.
The court, which tried Jaschan behind closed doors because
he was a minor at the time of the offense, said in its
ruling that he "acted out of a need for recognition" and
not for commercial aims.
Prosecutors had sought a two-year suspended sentence and
200 hours of community work, while the defense sought a
one-year sentence. Both sides accepted Friday's verdict.
Defense lawyer Jens Moewe said Jaschan was relieved the
trial was over.
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for London
technology consulting group Sophos PLC, said the court
likely was more lenient because of Jaschan's age.
"Sven Jaschan avoided a jail sentence by the skin of his
teeth because he was arrested within days of his 18th
birthday," Cluley said. "In many ways, Sven Jaschan was
lucky that the police caught him when they did."
Virus writers have had sentences reduced before because of
their age, though an American teenager who created a
version of the 2003 "Blaster" worm was sentenced to 18
months in prison.
U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman said she sentenced
Jeffrey Lee Parson, 19, of Hopkins, Minn., at the low end
of the agreed-upon range because although he was 18 at the
time of the attack his maturity level was much younger
than that. Parson had faced a maximum penalty of 10 years
in prison and a $250,000 fine.
created havoc as it raced around the world last year was
convicted Friday on charges including computer sabotage
and given a suspended sentence, a court official said.
Sven Jaschan, 19, was found guilty of computer sabotage
and illegally altering data, said Katharina Kruetzfeld, a
spokeswoman for the court in the northwestern town of
Verden. He was given a suspended sentence of one year and
nine months.
Jaschan also must perform 30 hours of community service at
a hospital or home for the elderly, but will not have to
pay court costs.
Jaschan admitted to creating the worm at the beginning of
his trial Tuesday - reiterating a confession to
authorities at the time of his arrest in May 2004.
Sasser exploited a flaw in Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 2000
and Windows XP operating systems. It caused infected
computers to crash and reboot, making it impossible to
work on them. The worm snarled hundreds of thousands of
computers and caused Internet traffic to slow. German
prosecutors estimate that damages ran into the millions of
dollars.
Following the conviction, Microsoft said two people who
had helped identify Jaschan would share a $250,000 reward.
Jaschan was arrested at his family's home after Microsoft
received a tip from an informant seeking a reward, though
prosecutors later said the informant was among five people
under investigation as possible accomplices. Microsoft did
not identify the reward recipients or say whether they
were among the five or included the original informant.
Authorities who questioned Jaschan said they got the
impression his motive was to gain fame as a programmer. He
was arrested sitting at his computer at the house of his
mother, who runs a computer store in the small northern
town of Waffensen.
The teenager has told officials his original intention was
to create a virus, "Netsky A," that would combat
the "Mydoom" and "Bagle" viruses, removing them from
infected computers. That led him to develop the Netsky
virus further - and to modify it to create Sasser.
The court, which tried Jaschan behind closed doors because
he was a minor at the time of the offense, said in its
ruling that he "acted out of a need for recognition" and
not for commercial aims.
Prosecutors had sought a two-year suspended sentence and
200 hours of community work, while the defense sought a
one-year sentence. Both sides accepted Friday's verdict.
Defense lawyer Jens Moewe said Jaschan was relieved the
trial was over.
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for London
technology consulting group Sophos PLC, said the court
likely was more lenient because of Jaschan's age.
"Sven Jaschan avoided a jail sentence by the skin of his
teeth because he was arrested within days of his 18th
birthday," Cluley said. "In many ways, Sven Jaschan was
lucky that the police caught him when they did."
Virus writers have had sentences reduced before because of
their age, though an American teenager who created a
version of the 2003 "Blaster" worm was sentenced to 18
months in prison.
U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman said she sentenced
Jeffrey Lee Parson, 19, of Hopkins, Minn., at the low end
of the agreed-upon range because although he was 18 at the
time of the attack his maturity level was much younger
than that. Parson had faced a maximum penalty of 10 years
in prison and a $250,000 fine.