Sasser Suspect Arrested   - 1,718 Views, 5 Comments

Summary: Police in Germany have arrested the person they think to be the perpetrator of the Sasser worm. The 18-year-old German high school student is thought to be the creator of the worm which has so far spread through an estimated 18 million computer systems ...

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Police in Germany have arrested the person they think to be the perpetrator of the Sasser worm.

The 18-year-old German high school student is thought to be the creator of the worm which has so far spread through an estimated 18 million computer systems world wide.

Sasser’s primary targets are systems running Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP. Sasser is thought to be among the first Internet worms which installs and runs itself, and does not rely on the computer’s user to click on or otherwise activate a file before it can do its dirty work.

Many businesses have already been forced to shut down while their computer and anti-virus systems are upgraded, and those affected include hospitals, airlines, government agencies, and banks.

Despite the arrest, experts believe that the Sasser worm will hang around the Internet for a long time, with the potential for future, more dangerous generations.

Sasser Suspect Arrested

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Previous Article « Anti-Spam Products for Windows Garner Rave Reviews
Read Next Article » Update: Sasser Suspect Confesses

Read more:

»  Update: Sasser Suspect Confesses

»  Sasser Suspect Scores Suspended Sentence

»  Sasser Suspect Sven Speaks (and Confesses)

»  Crime Pays! Microsoft to Reward Sasser Informants

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5 Comments »

  1. I catched that damned worm with my very first internet conexion, (with Microsoft site, to register my reinstalled Windows XP Home OS). The feat of that youngster shows how brilliant he is, but, is he aware that, at the same time, this could destroy the freedom and limitless boundaries of the WWW?
    Someone could decide that security is more important that freedom, and all of us will lose.
    jih

    Comment by Jose Ignacio Hern?ndez — 5/12/2004 @ 12:10 am

  2. I think this kids should find a better use for their right hands, if you know what I mean. Don’t these guys have a mother?

    Comment by Eduardo — 5/12/2004 @ 12:34 pm

  3. I wonder why these hackers dont better use thier skills to hack and shutdown the terrorist websites on the net

    Comment by Hothands — 5/12/2004 @ 1:50 pm

  4. The kid needs some serious jailtime. There he can fiddle around without harming anyone. This worm is going to cost billions of dollars remedy. A harsh punishment may deter others from doing likewise.

    Comment by Jonathan — 5/12/2004 @ 6:45 pm

  5. these dumb high school kids are always claiming credit for things they can’t even do. there was a case 1 or 2 years ago where a kid bragged about a virus he did not create. the fbi turned him inside out befor he was cleared.

    Comment by richardking57 — 5/12/2004 @ 7:48 pm

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 This article first appeared on 5/8/2004
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