Sasser Creator Doesn't Get Jail Time

[LostInSpace]

Link

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BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- A German court has convicted the teenager who created the Sasser worm that snarled tens of thousands of computers last year and sentenced him to 21 months' probation.

Sven Jaschan, 19, from the northwest town of Waffensen, could have faced five years in prison as an adult but was tried as a minor because the court determined he created the virus when he was 17, said Katharina Kreutzfeldt, spokeswoman for the Verden State Court outside Bremen.

As part of the sentence, Jaschan will have to perform 30 hours of community work, either at a hospital or a retirement home, Kreutzfeldt said.

Prosecutors say Jaschan sent the computer worm on the Internet on his 18th birthday, April 29, 2004.

It was blamed for shutting down British Airways flight check-ins, hospitals and government offices in Hong Kong, part of Australia's rail network, Finnish banks, British Coast Guard stations, and millions of other computers worldwide.

The court said it was impossible to estimate the amount of damage. So far, no international civil suits have yet been filed, officials said.

Four German lawsuits were settled for under Ôé¼1,000 each, said Arend Bosse, spokesman for the Rotenburg-Wuemme State Court.

Jaschan was caught last year after a tipster cashed in on a $250,000 reward offered by Microsoft, whose Windows system was prey to the virus.

Microsoft says the virus was part of a growing problem: hackers profiting from Windows vulnerabilities revealed by patches. The virus appeared 18 days after the company posted a patch to fix a flaw, and it attacked computers that hadn't downloaded the patch.

Jaschan, who reportedly spent up to 10 hours a day on his homemade computer, told Stern Magazine in an interview that he created the virus, which he called "Netzsky A," to combat two existing viruses, Mydoom and Bagle. Computer experts named Jaschan's virus "Sasser."

Jaschan, meanwhile, has taken a job at a computer company that creates anti-virus programs. After three years, Jaschan's conviction will be erased from public record if there are no new offenses, Kreutzfeldt said.

Authorities who questioned Jaschan said they believed his motive was to become a famous programmer. He was arrested at his computer at his the home of his mother, who runs a computer store.

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This is just crazy. So, if I made a bomb when I was 17 and then used it to celebrate my 18th birthday by blowing up car park with empty cars, I will only be charged as a minor because I made the bomb when I was 17. This sure sends a nice message to those young virus writers.

[Soback]

Did you really expect a liberal socialist government to hold someone accountable for their actions?

It's the societys fault he did it, and therefore it's the societys responsibility to shoulder the damages he caused. Peoples state of Europe.

[paranide]

Well,in my country it luckily also counts how old you are at the time you committed the crime.He was underage when he programmed the virus.Do you really want to put an 19 year old one into a jail where rapers,murderers and other scum resides?It would destroy his future!He only damaged virtual things-->and uncovered security holes.It's not something he can be proud of,not at all.He should have been sentenced to have much more social hours,3 years or something like that.But he didn't kill someone.Thus the court judged IMO pretty correctly.

Damn am I happy soback that I'm living in an liberal socialist country..apart from that I'm not sure if you know what you want to prove with this term.And I very wonder what you would have liked him to be setenced to.

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It's the societys fault he did it, and therefore it's the societys responsibility to shoulder the damages he caused

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Not at all.

[Eclipse]

If he destroys his future he has only himself to blame.

[Charles Lindsey]

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Jaschan, meanwhile, has taken a job at a computer company that creates anti-virus programs. After three years, Jaschan's conviction will be erased from public record if there are no new offenses, Kreutzfeldt said.

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Sound like he's set up for life. Don't you just hate it when people succeed by nefarious means?

I'm with paranide on a much harsher community service sentence and perhaps a longer probation but what's done is done.

[jamotto]

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Originally posted by Cmdr Chavik:

Sound like he's set up for life. Don't you just hate it when people succeed by nefarious means?

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And it seems the more nefarious they are. the better their financial situation is compared to mine.

[LostInSpace]

And who said crime doesn't pay. Hah!

Seriously, I think that judge just missed the point completely. He perpetrated the crime when he was 18 it shouldn't matter when the vehicle of his crime was created.

[paranide]

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Seriously, I think that judge just missed the point completely. He perpetrated the crime when he was 18 it shouldn't matter when the vehicle of his crime was created.

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I basically agree with you,but it depends on what crime has been committed.Even if he had done the crime when being adult,he wouldn't have got to go into prison, he just probably would have been on parole for 5 years.As it is not a typical crime.NoOne has been hurt or has been stolen.Thus I don't know what your problem with the sentence is :/ .But maybe I'm missing some decicive point.

[LostInSpace]

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Originally posted by paranide:

NoOne has been hurt or has been stolen.

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It was blamed for shutting down British Airways flight check-ins, hospitals and government offices in Hong Kong, part of Australia's rail network, Finnish banks, British Coast Guard stations, and millions of other computers worldwide.

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He was just lucky. Even though no one was harmed physicaly, they were Economicaly by theft of service due to his virus. Including the $250,000 pay off to the guy who turned him in. This guy seems pretty smart. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he orchestrated his own turn in with the help of a friend (the tipster) and is splitting the reward money.

[Supreme Cmdr]

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Originally posted by LostInSpace:

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he orchestrated his own turn in with the help of a friend (the tipster) and is splitting the reward money.

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Yep; there is that possibility.

[Guest Capn Crunch]

He's just a kid...he's paid for his crime.