The teenager who apparently wrote the Sasser and Netsky worms may have been trying to help drum up business for his mom’s computer repair shop. Sven J. has been arrested, but not before he unleashed what was supposed to have been some kind of damage limiting version of the worm. Indeed, according to the young hacker, Netsky was originally intended as an anti-viral virus to combat MyDoom and Bagle. Oh yeah, except for that whole attacking the local educational server thing. He may, however, avoid jail-time because he just turned 18.
Another worm was apparently written and released by an acquaintance of Sven J. The second young man was also arrested last week. Phatbot is the latest in a line of viruses begun in 2002. It is a spambot, and if you think you have gotten more than your fair share of spam in the last week or so, Phatbot might have something to do with it.
No idea what I’m talking about? How Stuff Works has a good explanation. Go ahead, there’s no harm in admitting you don’t know stuff.
Victims of Sasser, which has only been in circulation since April 30, include Westpac Bank, the Northern Territory Government, British Airways, Delta Airlines and the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency. These are not home users with neither firewall nor clue; they are large organizations with large Information Technology departments. These are people who have the expertise to make networks secure, even when the official solution is the problem. It costs businesses a lot of money to keep up with this stuff, and even more to combat actual outbreaks. And guess what? Those businesses turn around and pass the costs on to their customers. You.
And that is to say nothing of the time and money you may spend should you be the victim of such a virus.
Microsoft is going to need to do more than give out bounties to stop the virus problem. The idea that a high school student — who his computer teacher described as “not show[ing] early signs of genius in the technological world” — and his college aged buddy could write viruses that can infiltrate a variety of allegedly secure networks is absurd. The fact that one young man has been writing related malicious code that exploits one, single Windows vulnerability for 2 years is absolutely outrageous.
You deserve a virus free computer. Really.
If you only have time to read two important things today, they should be these. First, check out what Security Guru Bruce Schneier has to say about surveillance and search warrants. Then try this piece about hiring trends, inflation, and balancing the economy.