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Blaster Writer Caught

Henry V .009 writes "The FBI will be arresting an 18 year-old in connection with MS Blaster, reports The Washington Post." According to the article, the teen was witnessed testing the worm, and then turned in by a bystander. It's also worth noting that this is merely one of the Blaster variations. Hope whoever it was had fun, because a world of pain is waiting in store now.

1,157 comments

  1. A witness turned him in?!? by corebreech · · Score: 5, Interesting

    How on Earth do you witness somebody writing a virus?

    He's sitting in front of a computer, hitting keys on the keyboard and looking at the monitor. That describes the person who wrote this story, the person who submitted this story, the person who posted the story, me getting first post, and everybody reading and moderating this and every other post to come.

    It also describes RMS writing Emacs, Linus debugging the kernel, and SCO issuing another press release.

    Did this witness actually read the code? What kind of idiot virus-writer lets someone he doesn't know pull up a chair and start auditing his code?

    Or was the witness tipped off when the screen start flashing "NOW TESTING VIRUS"? Damn, I hate when that happens!

    This doesn't sound quite right.

    1. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Gyan · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Probably, they caught a small fly. Who then got immunity and secrecy for turning in the ubercoders. Hence, "the witness"

    2. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by joonasl · · Score: 4, Funny
      How on Earth do you witness somebody writing a virus?

      Maybe they were following the XP-methodology and were pair programming?

      --
      "There is a terrorist behind every bush"
    3. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by azzy · · Score: 0, Redundant

      Hell!! I just got turned in for writing a virus, and all I was doing was replying to your post. What's the world coming to :(

    4. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by beacher · · Score: 3, Funny

      This sounds like the Penis variant that came out shortly afterwards. The kid's a hack.. he's not the original author. It's funny. He just rode someone's coattails for fun and now he's going to do some time and have to worry about who's going to ride his coattails.

    5. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by EvilTwinSkippy · · Score: 4, Insightful
      He could have been dumb enough to test it on a computer lab at school, or at a library. The "witness" could have been a network administrator monitoring the system.

      Of course the witness was also last seen purchasing a shark tank and some laser beams...

      --
      "Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
      --Dr.W.Edwards Deming
    6. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by z01d · · Score: 1

      How on Earth do you witness somebody writing a virus?

      with a trojan running background, that's pretty easy, you know these guys...

    7. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by thelen · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Almost certainly, "witnessed" here means bragged to, which frankly makes perfect sense for an 18 year old probably male, probably virgin programmer. Hey, if he's up all night reading /. he may yet beat the feds and run to Canada ;^)

    8. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by phagstrom · · Score: 5, Funny

      All virus/worm/trojan writers use MovieOS where stuff like "Assembling Virus" and "Testing Virus" are written to the screen in blinking fonts.

      Didn't you ever see Swordfish? ;-)

    9. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by LeoDV · · Score: 1

      The article doesn't say the witness saw the kid code it, it says the witness saw him test it.

      If you ask me, he probably infected his own machine, or spread it on the school's network or something to see how well it worked -- and bragged to a friend. And when he saw it later on the news, he told a teacher (or a friend, or his parents), who told the cops, who told him to tell the FBI.

    10. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by cjcormack · · Score: 1

      Maybe they were following the XP-methodology [extremeprogramming.org] and were pair programming [extremeprogramming.org]?

      With a random stranger... and surely the other member of the pair would be guilty of the same crime?

    11. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by rylin · · Score: 2, Funny

      and SCO issuing another press release.

      Err?
      No.

      They're talking about one person, not fifty monkeys dressed as lawyers

    12. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by brucmack · · Score: 1

      I think an 18 year old with the hardware to test the virus might be a bit of a tip off... He probably would have needed at least multiple computers to do it.

      Of course, this is not the original author, but it is stated that he was testing the worm...

    13. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      If they do throw hin in jail, I don't suspect he'll be a virgin for much longer.

    14. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      maybe spreading another kind of virus

    15. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Mostly+a+lurker · · Score: 0, Funny
      ...probably virgin...

      Well, jail will no doubt solve that problem ...

    16. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by opal · · Score: 0

      Even better if he subscribed to slashdot :)

    17. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by dnoyeb · · Score: 1

      I am with you. Sounds shaky. The writer of MS Blaster? not very likely, but you know US law enforcement these days.

      Just make the public *feel* safe. Its a lot cheaper and more successful that way..

    18. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Spellbinder · · Score: 2, Insightful

      i think writing viruses is not a crime
      testing them isn't a crime too
      i think you have to release them to cause any damage
      or is there some stupid new law that looks at viruses like bombs
      is a virus now classified as a illegal weapon (of mass destruction)???

      --


      stop supporting microsoft with pirating their software!!!!!
    19. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry, being a guy, he'll have to pop someone elses b-hymen to qualify. But being a 18 year old programer in prison? Yeah, that's not gonna happen.

      I bet while he's being traded to yet another 500 lb guy with more jail house tats than teeth for a handful of cigarettes, he'll laugh all over again at all the stupid windows users. If they were as smart as him, they'd be the ones taken it in the poop shute.

      While I'm certain his parole will eventually include some sort of prohibition on using computers, I'm equally certain that such a limitation would be unnessecary. I just don't see him wanting to sit down for quite a while.

      Hey kid, if you're reading this. I've got some helpful adivce.

      1. Go to a local 24hr home depot.
      2. Buy a large cork and some expoy that carrys a warning that it may bond with skin.
      3. Learn to sleep on your back with a whole pillow stuffed in your mouth.

      Good luck.

    20. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by eggplantpasta · · Score: 4, Funny

      You mean this Movie OS?

      --
      "Don't forget the prunes." L. Francis Herreshoff
    21. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by nordicfrost · · Score: 1

      If he's 18 and virgin, he fits snugly into the world average but is two years behind the rest of the US average... Source: BBC and Durex

    22. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Molina+the+Bofh · · Score: 1

      With big and friendly letters:

      DON'T PANIC. I'm JUST A VIRUS.

      --

      -
      Roses are #FF0000, Violets are #0000FF, find / -name '*base*' |xargs chown -R us && mv zig greatjustice
    23. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by the+shoez · · Score: 1

      True, but only if he's a Slashdot subscriber though....

      --
      &lawyers($instruction);
    24. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by 3terrabyte · · Score: 2, Funny
      I think I saw this movie!

      The kids name is ZeroCool, and everything will be just fine, because in the end, he gets Angelina Jolie.

      --

      Why are there only 19 people folding@home for slashdot?

    25. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      VG suger! Dagbladet forever!

    26. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by What'sInAName · · Score: 1

      Hey, get it right! The witness was seen purchasing a shark tank and frickin' laser beams! :-D

      Ok, on topic comment. I think this guy is probably a 'friend' of the soon-to-be defendant. That seems like just about the only way this would make sense. This story is probably no big deal, since this guy is just one small fish in a big sea of virus writers.

      I wonder what the 'typical' virus writer is like? (If there is any such thing as typical.) I wonder if any of them read Slashdot?

    27. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "What kind of idiot virus-writer lets someone he doesn't know pull up a chair and start auditing his code?"

      This wasn't *the* author of MSBlast, just some dumb 18-year-old who thought it would be funny to rename the worm executable PENIS32.EXE. He probably had some friend at his house when he did the change, all the while bragging about what a shit-hot worm writer he is.

    28. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by tds67 · · Score: 1
      How on Earth do you witness somebody writing a virus?

      I agree with you. The idea that one person could know so much about this person's activities is ridiculous.

      By the way, that Coke you're drinking has gone flat. And that brand of blue jeans you're wearing tends to wear out quickly. And you've got a piece of fuzz stuck on your shirt.

    29. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by DuranDuran · · Score: 1

      > It also describes RMS writing Emacs

      OMG!!!! RMS wrote blaster!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

      --
      "You can justify anything by putting it in quotes, adding a famous name and making it a sig" - Albert Einstein
    30. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by banzai51 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The sad thing is they'll fail to catch the original Blaster author so they'll throw the book at this kid for the whole Blaster thing.

    31. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by humming · · Score: 0, Funny

      Those who write a virus using a CAD program deserves jail...

      --H

      --
      I'm too stupid to preview.
    32. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by NDPTAL85 · · Score: 0, Funny

      More like someone will be worming their way into him pretty soon.

      --
      Mac OS X and Windows XP working side by side to fight back the night.
    33. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by danheskett · · Score: 2, Funny

      I dont know on what planet everything is fine when you end up Angeline Jolie. Eww. That is the furtherest thing from fine if you ask me.

    34. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Penguin2212 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I bet this wittness was a person who was a friend of his who ratted him out. He probablly told him or showed him something about what he was actually doing.

    35. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by lobsterGun · · Score: 1

      Serious question.

      What is with this whole 'virgin' preocupation? Why is anyone concerned with this kid's (or any kid's) level of sexual activity? I don't understand.

    36. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What is with this whole 'virgin' preocupation? Why is anyone concerned with this kid's (or any kid's) level of sexual activity? I don't understand.

      If you don't understand, you have a lot to learn about human nature. And, you're probably a virgin.

    37. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by pantycrickets · · Score: 1

      I dont know on what planet everything is fine when you end up Angeline Jolie. Eww. That is the furtherest thing from fine if you ask me.

      You don't find a woman with the appearance of a corpse, and a vial of aids infected blood dangling from her neck attractive? Why, I never.

    38. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is sick. In America, where the constitution forbids cruel and unusual punishment .. this sort of thing happens? It's not deserved. This stuff doesnt happen in the worst chinese prisons.

      The public supports people getting punished this way .. but the justice system sends INNOCENT people to jail and also people who commit small crimes and in no way deserve this punishment. I guess this is a sign of the lack of people's giving a shit about others. Well you may laugh at others .. but remember the justice system sends innocents to jail every now and then .. so that means you may end up there. Word to all you file sharers too.

      But keep laughing .. dont try to reform prison.

    39. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by elel · · Score: 2, Funny

      Actually, that's HollywoodOS and I hold the patent on it. I figure there's a market for idiots who want to bang on their keyboard haphazardly and have any number of complex processes happen as a result. I also think that more people than just myself want hexagonal windows to be the standard shape.

      Anyone want to start a project?

      --
      Greg Poirier -- Magic Fairy Bunny Princesses, Inc.
    40. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Alan+Partridge · · Score: 1, Insightful

      shouldn't that be small FRY?

      --
      That was classic intercourse!
    41. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Alan+Partridge · · Score: 0

      What on Earth is wrong with you two?

      She's absolutely gorgeous.

      --
      That was classic intercourse!
    42. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you think if the average virus writer was a Slashdot reader that he would post here non-anonymously? I mean hell... *I* might be the guy who wrote Welchia.

      RemoteAdminKillProcessThread()

      lots o fun. :P

    43. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      She is gorgeous.
      Me and my finace both want to screw her :)

    44. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by badasscat · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The sad thing is they'll fail to catch the original Blaster author so they'll throw the book at this kid for the whole Blaster thing.

      This seems to be the prevailing sentiment here and honestly, it's making you all look like a bunch of script kiddies, or at the very least script kiddie sympathizers.

      Fact is this 18 year old "kid" (actually, adult in this country) committed a crime if he wrote this virus variant and distributed it. While he's still innocent until proven guilty, I fail to see how it's "sad" to get any virus writer - big or small - out of the virus writing business.

      This is the way law enforcement works. You can't catch everybody who commits a crime, and if you don't show that you're actively enforcing the law, there will be more criminals. Study after study after study have shown this to be the absolute truth. Even if they don't catch the writer of the original Blaster, catching this guy and making an example out of him - as well as any other virus writers they no doubt will catch in the future - will act as something of a deterrent. You're all operating under the assumption that this guy is a small-fry writing viruses in his spare time - you think it's worth it to a guy like that to risk jail time? No, and this will cause others like him to think twice.

      Obvious analogy - when there aren't any cops around, I see a lot of people run red lights. When there is a cop stationed at an intersection, I see nobody running red lights. Funny how that works.

      And if his punishment is harsh, so what? If he's found guilty, he's a criminal. He deserves whatever he gets at that point. People need to take responsibility for their own actions and realize that their actions have consequences, both for the people they directly affect (ie. those infected by this variant of the Blaster virus) and for themselves. You'd think Slashdot readers would have a little more grasp of this concept than most (being open-source advocates), but it appears this may not be the case.

    45. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by StikyPad · · Score: 2, Funny

      One day your testes will drop and you'll realize that cooties aren't such a bad thing after all. Or maybe they are, but you won't care. Or so I'm told.

    46. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by taped2thedesk · · Score: 1

      Easy... he wrote it at the library. Duh!

    47. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by FileNotFound · · Score: 1

      Well ummm...

      You see...erm...after he has 'some' sexual activity, he will find that writing viruses isn't as much "fun" as previously believed.

      Hey it got me of Evercrack...think of what it can do for you...

      --
      In Soviet Russia, the television watches YOU!
    48. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You don't want to know what happens in Chinese prisons. Oh -- do pistols count too?

    49. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by JukkaO · · Score: 1

      The "witness" could have been a network administrator monitoring the system.

      In which reality do network administrators of computer labs or libraries actually proactively monitor the network? ;)

      --
      .SIGSEGV
    50. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by shades6666 · · Score: 1

      Hey, if he's up all night reading /. he may yet beat the feds and run to Canada

      So long as you're not asking for the death penalty Canada will be more than happy to extradite. Assuming of course that we have the time, money or inclination to catch him.

    51. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by data7 · · Score: 1

      He is definetly going down, if you can`t find the "source" of the problem, make one...
      sad but true :(

    52. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by UnderAttack · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Blaster.B, which is the version this person is alleged to have written, is a very simple variation. Shouldn't take more than 10 minutes to write using a hex editor. All he did was change the filename and a couple of the 'Bill' strings.

      On the other hand: its kind of like someone walking past a masacre, picking up the gun the culprit left and shooting everyone who still twitches.

      --
      ---- join dshield.org Distributed Intrusion Detec
    53. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by CausticWindow · · Score: 1

      "128 bit encryption? That's impossible?

      Not with 1 gigabyte of ram."

      --
      How small a thought it takes to fill a whole life
    54. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by helpfulcorn · · Score: 1

      I've been "witnessed" "hacking" when I remotely on IRC via telnet to my home computer.

    55. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by emilng · · Score: 5, Insightful

      By your rationale, we should start caning graffiti artists in the US because that would be "something of a deterrent."
      It's not a matter of whether he is guilty or not, but whether he is going to get a punishment that will fit the crime.
      I wouldn't be surprised if the media makes this out into another Kevin Mitnick scenario.

    56. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by turgid · · Score: 5, Interesting
      What is with this whole 'virgin' preocupation? Why is anyone concerned with this kid's (or any kid's) level of sexual activity? I don't understand.

      ...beacause it's still a socially-acceptable way to stereotype and belittle young men. You would never hear of people using the term "18 year-old girl, probably still a virgin" in similar circumstances. It's hypocrasy, ignorance and spitefullness.

    57. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by rhiorg · · Score: 2, Funny

      ...with the obligatory progress bar showing how much of the virus/worm/trojan has been uploaded to the 'net.

    58. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by LineNoiz · · Score: 5, Funny

      ...an arrest has not yet been made...

      Well, if he does read /., I'm sure he's busy running a big frickin magnet over his hard drive(s) right about now...

      --
      "Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit." --Oscar Wilde
    59. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by F452 · · Score: 1

      The difference is a single graffiti artist doesn't disrupt large portions of the economy. When I see the problems caused by people like this at my own and other companies, it makes me very unsympathetic to their plight when caught. (Although let's not hang him before the trial.)

    60. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You know, caning definately works, and it doesnt leave any lasting scars, and doesnt cost much....

    61. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Heh...

      I hope so... Kevin Mitnick's punishment most certainly fit his crimes. He was a fucking repeat offender psychopath who repeatedly got caught doing stupid shit and refused to stop breaking into computer systems that were not his and cloning cel phones and other sundry crap.

      Mitnick's biggest crime was his stupidity and refusal to stop being an idiot after getting his hands slapped the first couple times and he deserved everything he got.

      Get over it.

    62. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You forgot to put quotes around the word "laser". "Laser" must ALWAYS be quoted. Of course, I don't usually correct my underlings so far down the chain of command. I'm not a real "hands-on" kind of evil genius.

    63. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by feed_those_kitties · · Score: 1
      All virus/worm/trojan writers use MovieOS where stuff like "Assembling Virus" and "Testing Virus" are written to the screen in blinking fonts.

      Didn't you ever see Swordfish? ;-)

      And of course he was using that special MovieMonitor that projects the words onto his face so people could read them from across the room...

    64. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by kaltkalt · · Score: 1

      the witness was probably some chick the guy bragged about writing the virus to. Trying to get pussy in all the wrong ways....

      --

      Stupid people make stupid things profitable.
    65. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      suspects are guilty until proven innocent...otherwise they wouldnt be suspect

    66. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by ImpTech · · Score: 3, Insightful

      >And if his punishment is harsh, so what? If he's found guilty, he's a criminal. He deserves whatever he gets at that point.

      NO NO NO NO! He deserves a punishment fitting the crime. If he wrote one variant, he should NOT be incriminated based on the damage done by ALL the variants. Sure he should get into serious trouble. Sure he should probably do some jail time. But my fear is that people will get carried away because of all the virus/worm activity lately and give him a lot worse than he's due. We'd like to think the justice system is above that, but sadly thats not always the case.

    67. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by emilng · · Score: 1

      I'm not contesting that he was a criminal and that was doing some really stupid things. I'm contesting the fact that he wasn't given due process because of the media circus surrounding his case.

    68. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Sgt_Jake · · Score: 1

      My personal favorite was the graphical boxed-helix as he compiled the worm/virus. 'cause, you know, as soon as you can make that last stick the right color, the whole thing'll flash a few times and do whatever you want it to. That's my favorite part of coding anyway...

    69. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Alan+Partridge · · Score: 1

      Your finance or your furnace?

      --
      That was classic intercourse!
    70. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Punishment isn't about "fitting the crime" as you limp-wristed crybabies would have us believe.

      Punishment has always been about first tearing down at least one fucker for contravening the social contract, second making the society who was wronged feel better, and then a distant third - dissuading others from making the same mistake.

      Nowhere at all has the idea of proportionality had any sway until recent legal system manipulation by the bleeding hearts. The best deterrent and punishment of all is obviously something which is ludicrously out of scale with the offense at the heart of the matter.

      If we started in with cutting off hands for petty theft, castration for drunk driving, public execution for murder, and putting lit cherry bombs up the anuses of virus writers and spammers, the world would get to be a better place VERY FUCKING QUICKLY.

    71. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by scout.finch · · Score: 1

      Well this guy's obviously never had sex.

    72. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by BrokenHalo · · Score: 1
      People need to take responsibility for their own actions and realize that their actions have consequences

      So people should learn to be proactive about securing their systems (whether or not they insist on using a system that is "insecure by design") instead of bleating when they get bitten by the latest bug.

      I am getting to the point where if (when) my acquaintances tell me they've been hit by the virus du jour I am often not very sympathetic. If they applied common-sense with their email client settings, the majority of these problems simply would not occur.

    73. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bullshit. People need to fear deep in their bones what will happen if they write/release/propagate a virus and get caught.

      The punishment needs to be legendary in scope, such that it will be whispered for decades to come to small children to frighten them. This kid needs to be ANNIHILATED so that nobody else will think it's such a cool thing to follow in his footsteps.

      The punishment of this one ass is secondary by far to the message that needs to be sent out to the virus community at large: "write viruses and we will FUCK you until you are a greasy stain on the mattress!".

    74. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by geekoid · · Score: 1

      "What kind of idiot virus-writer lets someone he doesn't know pull up a chair and start auditing his code?"

      haha
      It is a sad day when virus writers are caught in a coporate culuture.

      "Dude, can you audit my code? I need to be sure its ISO 1337 compliant."

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    75. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >Kevin Mitnick's punishment most certainly fit his crimes.

      Would that be the 3 years of incarceration while he was innocent (before being proven guilty), or the fact he wasn't allowed to use an electric toothbrush?

      Just wondering.

      Thanks.

    76. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Zone5 · · Score: 1

      I agree completely. More secure systems and better preventative measures by a more educated and proactive userbase are the answer. I don't cry any tears either for acquaintances who are silly enough to be hit with the latest viruses based on their choices and actions. I just sigh deeply and get to work helping them fix the mess they've created.

      But none of that devalues in any way the idea of making the virus writers and distributors pay very deeply for what they have done. A good old "Shock and awe" campaign based on completely destroying this kid's life would be a pretty good start.

      --
      "So on one hand, honey is an amazingly sophisticated and efficient food source. On the other hand it's bee backwash."
    77. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by shepd · · Score: 1

      >If we started in with cutting off hands for petty theft, castration for drunk driving, public execution for murder, and putting lit cherry bombs up the anuses of virus writers and spammers, the world would get to be a better place VERY FUCKING QUICKLY.

      Things like that were light punishments during the middle ages.

      Yet just walking through the woods at the time was a good way to get raped/killed/mugged, and it never changed until society reined in the ability of governments to kill people for any reason they liked.

      Is that because they didn't hold the trials in the woods?

      Or are you just full of shit?

      --
      If you could be told what you can see or read, then it follows that you could be told what to say or think - BoC
    78. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by devphaeton · · Score: 1

      He's sitting in front of a computer, hitting keys on the keyboard and looking at the monitor. That describes the person who wrote this story, the person who submitted this story, the person who posted the story, me getting first post, and everybody reading and moderating this and every other post to come.


      You see..

      there's a difference between merely looking up at the screen and typing...

      and looking up at the screen, typing and cackling meniacally

      Sheesh... i figured corebreech would know the difference!

      --


      do() || do_not(); // try();
    79. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by BrokenHalo · · Score: 5, Insightful
      And if his punishment is harsh, so what? If he's found guilty, he's a criminal.

      Not quite; it just means he doesn't have as good a lawyer as the prosecution.

    80. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by jazman_777 · · Score: 3, Funny
      Although let's not hang him before the trial.

      Let's give him a fair trial, _then_ let's give him a first-class hangin'!

      --
      Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
    81. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "he may yet beat the feds and run to Canada "

      Hell, if he comes here, I'll kick him in the nuts a few dozen times, stomp on his face, and then send him back home. No worries, bud!

    82. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You want to make an omelette, you've gotta break a few eggs. I say we start with pussies like you.

      There's a difference between uber-harsh punishment for convicted criminals and the lack of an effective self-policing justice system, although you're too busy with hyperbole to notice that right now.

    83. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Media circus? It's one AP article.

    84. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by roju · · Score: 0, Troll

      What crime is committed by writing a virus?

    85. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by arkane1234 · · Score: 1

      Or the feds will just fabricate information, give it to Canada's officials, and they'll hand him over.

      Like Leonard Peltier.

      http://www.freepeltier.org/
      http://www.geocitie s.com/Athens/Troy/5557/

      This is a sick nation we live in.

      --
      -- This space for lease, low setup fee, inquire within!
    86. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by roju · · Score: 1

      As a follow-up question, when does he cross into the criminal?

      For instance, suppose the author posted the source to some 0day board that he's on. If someone else starts it in the wild, who's at fault?

    87. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by GreyPoopon · · Score: 5, Insightful
      By your rationale, we should start caning graffiti artists in the US because that would be "something of a deterrent."

      I don't think the parent poster made any comments about WHAT the punishment should be, so please don't start citing rather harsh treatments to make your argument look more interesting. You could have just as easily made the statement, "By your rationale, we should start putting graffiti artists in jail for a month because that would be 'something of a deterrent.'".

      Anyway, consider the fact that even though this guy only modified an existing virus, his crimes are EXACTLY the same as those of the original programmer. Writing a virus isn't a crime. Unleashing it and causing damage (economic or physical) to the property of others IS a crime. By modifying the virus, he created a new pattern that virus scanners would not recognize and thus was able to create similar damage as that of the original virus. Please explain to me how this isn't as bad as what the original author did.

      My argument, by the way, is similar to ones made against the DMCA. The DMCA is being used to prosecute people who construct devices that CAN by used to circumvent copy protection. However, I think most of us agree that the real culprits are those that use it for such. In the case of viruses, if I construct a new virus, but never let it loose, am I guilty? If you manage to swipe a copy of the virus while you're at a LAN party at my house and then let it loose, aren't you the guilty one? If both of us unleash copies of the virus, aren't we both guilty?

      --

      GreyPoopon
      --
      Why is it I can write insightful comments but can't come up with a clever signature?

    88. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by jdavidb · · Score: 1

      Doesn't fit my worldview. As an unmarried Christian, if I weren't a virgin, I'd want to hide it, not the other way around... I'm 25, btw, and engaged.

      Probably take all kinds of mocking for writing this, but hey, our worldviews are completely different. The guys who'd make fun of me over this think I'm a loser, and I don't have such a high opinion of them, either, so I guess life goes on.

    89. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by wideBlueSkies · · Score: 1

      >>The difference is a single graffiti artist doesn't disrupt large portions of the economy.

      Nope just a small part of the economy like whole neighborhoods.

      When a bunch of taggers start writing in a clean neighborhood you can almost hear the property calues drop.

      Nobody wants to buy a house if there's graffiti on the fence across the street. Even if it's been painted over, you know it's been painted over.

      So yeah. Cane the graffiti writers.

      wbs.

      --
      Huh?
    90. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by siberian · · Score: 0

      Of course we wouldnt refer to a girl as an '18 year old virgin', she'd be an '18 year old SLUT'.

      Thought I'd clear that up.

    91. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > In other news, Postgres becomes blah blah blah.

      Me and my finance both want to use postgres :)

    92. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by BattleCat · · Score: 0

      Until this post, I was taking you seriously.
      Now I'm abso-fucking-lutely sure you're just making fun. Thanks for the good laugh.

    93. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      >Did this witness actually read the code?

      When you read "witness", think "accomplice."

      Someone got caught doing something else, and in order to save his own skin, bargained in exchange for testimony and evidence...

    94. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by geekoid · · Score: 1

      While I agree with most of whet you posted, I have one contention:
      "And if his punishment is harsh, so what? If he's found guilty, he's a criminal. He deserves whatever he gets at that point. "

      No. His punishment should be appropriet for the crime. Personally, I think they should save the tax payers money, not put him in jail. He should not be allowed to own a computer, and only be allowed to use a computer if it is a POS system. If after 5 years he has been good, he can look for work that involves computer use at a business. After 10 years, his parol would end.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    95. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by zalas · · Score: 2, Funny

      > shouldn't that be small FRY?

      Engrish stlikes again!

    96. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by tigheig · · Score: 2, Interesting

      You're misreading the original message. It's not sad that this kid was caught. What was said was:

      The sad thing is they'll fail to catch the original Blaster author so they'll throw the book at this kid for the whole Blaster thing.

      The sad and dangerous part is the news media's tendancy to try to find the culprit as if there was a single individual responsible. If they blame the entire thing on him, and then have the standard trial by news pundit, what we'll get is a scapegoat and no progress on solving the problem of poorly written software and an expanding OS monoculture that makes the vulnerabilities even more prevalent. Slammer, Blaster, Sobig, and whatever the next one is represent a serious problem, and if we get another attempt to blame it all on the loner teenage hacker instead of trying to fix the bigger problems that make it possible we'll get hit again and probably much harder.

      Many of us have spent a lot of time trying to convince our senior management that we have serious problems with unmanaged systems (i.e. either not sysadmin'd at all, or administered by someone who doesn't know what they're doing) and are finally beginning to make some progress. We don't need scapegoating clouding the issue.

      I was approached this morning by a VP in my company who pointed to this news release and said 'Looks like they caught him, I guess we don't need that project you wanted for better patch management on the Enterprise network.' I went about re-educating him (and was reasonably successful), but I know I was successful because I have his ear and he listens. Not all of my peers at other companies are as lucky.

    97. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "we should start caning graffiti artists in the US"

      Some people would pay big money for that.

    98. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Bishop923 · · Score: 1

      I figure there's a market for idiots who want to bang on their keyboard haphazardly and have any number of complex processes happen as a result.

      So you'll be marketing this to Microsoft Developers?

      *rimshot*

    99. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, the death penalty deters at least ONE person from killing again! Funny thing - that one person who is deterred has already demonstrated that they are willing to murder, so TO THE GALLOWS WITH THEM!

    100. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by harvardian · · Score: 1

      That's actually why I didn't submit the story myself around 1:30 in the morning :-P

      I wonder if once the kid's name comes out (or his 1337 h4x0r name), will the editors look for a variant of it in the userdb? I'd like to see the posting history of a person like this...

    101. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      a single graffiti artist doesn't disrupt large portions of the economy.

      The ones who disrupted ther economy were the idiot sysadmins who were over a month behind in their patching....

    102. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually,I think it was the fact he wasn't able to use a payphone because he might whistle the nuclear launch codes.

      You think I'm being funny? Then you don't know the Mitnick case.

    103. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by po8 · · Score: 1

      And if his punishment is harsh, so what? If he's found guilty, he's a criminal. He deserves whatever he gets at that point.

      We all "deserve whatever we get" for one thing or another. By the grace of God most of us, most of the time, receive mercy instead of "perfect justice".

      Are you seriously saying that I should have no mercy to spare for an 18-year-old who committed an entirely abstract and trivially easy crime? Are you seriously suggesting that anything short of jail time would make a travesty of justice for this person?

      If so, I pity your family, and suspect that there are few who count themselves your friend. Count me as a "script kiddie sympathizer".


      I think I've just been trolled. Oh well.

    104. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Someone spray painted graffiti on the picket fence that surrounds the house I'm renting. (The fence is cool- my wife and I can run outside naked when doing chores on the weekend without being seen.) The cops came and told us to tell the landlord to paint over it. Now you can't even see it's there. And stupid me, I missed my chance to argue for a lower rent.

      You can't touch a run down shack around here for less than a half million just because this is Silicon Valley. This is actually one of the lower income neighborhoods and people are crammed into houses, ten people to a house. And the houses aren't even nice- most of them aren't fit for two people. It's ridiculous.

      I've got to learn how to spray paint graffiti if I'm ever going to be able to afford a house.

    105. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What we really need here are more socially-acceptable ways to stereotype and belittle miserable teenage cretins. How about alos pointing out: their revolting cracking voices, that miserable laugh they all have, the fact that they have no sense of humor beyond sarcasm, and the fact that they think the rest of us have so much to learn from their wealth of experience. It is hilarious when these jackasses talk about their "lifelong dreams." You're 18 you moron...

    106. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >I say we start with pussies like you.

      LOL.

      You don't think it's just a little bit hypocritical to hide behind anonymity to call someone a pussy?

    107. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by sidmystic · · Score: 1

      Yeah, well, get in line. I've got the patent. ;)

    108. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This whole thing smells fishy. Since when do the FBI announce to the press that they are about to arrest someone, and release some details about how he was caught? Are they trying to give him a head start? If this kid were me, and I'm not saying he is, I would delete every trace of the worm from my computer as soon as I read this story. Hold on, there are some guys in black suits at my door...

    109. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by pboulang · · Score: 1
      The person who released it into the wild is definitely at fault. The writer is also at fault if he distributed it to locales with low expectations.. i.e. Demonstaration in an educational environment vs. putting on a warez site.

      Maybe better said via analogy: Whether I put my gun in a locked gun case versus sitting on the table where my kids can play with it determines my level of responsibility.

      --

      This comment is guaranteed*

      *not guaranteed

    110. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Remember, 18 only makes you an adult in the eyes of the law. I've known juvenile 30 year olds, and very mature 15 year olds.

    111. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by SatanicPuppy · · Score: 1

      It's interesting. I mean, theoretically, a virus could have legal applications i.e. war, law enforcement, etc. Pretty much like a gun.

      Which would make a virus a weapon.

      Or, to put it archaicly, an "arm"

      Which would be protected under the second amendment! How are we going to protect our homes from the Taliban's uberhackers if we don't have our own viri? If someones breaking into my home, I'm gonna shoot them, right? Well, why not the same if someone's breaking into my computer?

      I'm gonna go set up portsentry to nuke anything that portscans me! The constitution rocks!

      Hehehehe. Damn. Sometimes I scare myself.

      --
      ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
    112. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by martyros · · Score: 1

      Yeah, but he gets a +5 truth bonus if he's innocent! Unfortunately, there's the -10 "courts don't understand computers" circumstance penalty, which unfortunately stacks with the -15 "somebody has to pay and we don't have anyone else yet" circumstance penalty... ask Kevin Mitnick about those.

      --

      TCP: Why the Internet is full of SYN.

    113. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by canadian_right · · Score: 1
      Script Kiddie: "Watch this, dude! I'm writing a virus!". Dude: "Cool man! What does it do?" Script Kiddie: "I'm hacking the blaster virus to make it leaner and meaner" Dude: "Whooooa!"

      There you have it.

      This is just some moron who picked up a copy of the existing blaster and modded it a bit.

      --
      Anarchists never rule
    114. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by PanchoVilla · · Score: 1

      Yes, he deserves a punishment fitting the crime. ie, he can make restitution. Starting with me. I spent 7 hours of MY time figuring out how to fix my computers and then fixing them. Based on last year my time is worth about $35 an hour. So as soon as he sends me a check for $245 he can do what he likes..........

    115. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by SuperDuperMan · · Score: 1

      how do you witness somebody using a computer? How do you witness somebody writing an e-mail? Believe me when you sit in front of a computer and someone is watching they aren't just staring at your fingers flying over the keys. If I write a program and you watch the screen you will see what I type and you will be witnessing what I'm doing.

    116. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by 95_gst_al · · Score: 1
      I dont know on what planet everything is fine when you end up Angeline Jolie. Eww. That is the furtherest thing from fine if you ask me.
      You must be gay or like butch women.
      --
      When all else fails, piss on it. At least you will feel better in some kind of way.
    117. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "...the person who posted the story, me getting first post, and everybody reading and moderating this..."

      This has got to be the most elaborate "first post" post ever.

      "...and every other post to come."

      Now you're just gloating.

    118. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by roju · · Score: 1

      I definately agree that releasing it into the wild is a point of note - even if "the wild" just happens to be to a bunch of minions.

      The question is, who's responsible after that. Especially for worms like Sobig, which require user interaction. I'm currently holding the person sending me the emails responsible, not the virus writer. Seems to me that that would be like getting mad at a lock-pick manufacturer for letting someone break into my house.

      The gun analogy is good. I'm just curious how far the responsibility goes. If I copy a CD for a friend, and then he copies it for a friend, am I responsible for that second copy? No. Why shouldn't it be the same in this case?

      What law is the writer/releaser even breaking?

    119. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Badasscat obviously doesn't have a clue. He was probably just doing his homework! :-)

      Check out all the university course offerings in various malware, viruses, trojans, etc.:

      http://www.networkintrusion.co.uk/Cvirus.htm

      Perhaps there was an accident and he forgot he was not in a secured environment, or whatever.

    120. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by rifter · · Score: 1

      You know, caning definately works, and it doesnt leave any lasting scars, and doesnt cost much....

      Ok, let's start caning AC's. Then we can sell access to webcams of it to fund Free Software projects.

    121. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by LineNoiz · · Score: 1

      His name is Jeffrey Lee Parson.

      His 1337 h4x0r name is "teekid."

      If he is on /., he is using a different name...

      --
      "Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit." --Oscar Wilde
    122. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by banzai51 · · Score: 1

      And if his punishment is harsh, so what? If he's found guilty, he's a criminal. Remember that when you jaywalk, litter, or get caught speeding. Instead of a ticket, why don't we thow you in Federal prison? You're a criminal, you got caught, why should anybody be concerned that the punishment is harsh? The problem is that people like you don't understand that punishment is supposed to be measured against the crime. This kid just made minor changes to an existing virus. Sure, there should be concequences, but the original writer deserves more. This kid that got caught is the equivilent of a petty thief. The original writer is the equivilent of a low level mob soldier. Both desirve punshment under the law, but one would appear to desirve a couple of months in county, the other a couple of years.

    123. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The virus was made possible by microsoft. Thanks to these heroic virus writers alot of windows box are now a lot more secure. I think you should give these writers a reward for pointing out what microsoft, the FBI, and your local MCSE admin wasn't able to.

    124. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by pardonne · · Score: 1

      > Study after study after study have shown
      > this to be the ABSOLUTE truth.

      You are not exaggerating a little bit Sherlock?

      > when there aren't any cops around,
      > I see a lot of people run red lights.

      Another master criminologist with oh so refreshing theories about human behavior.

      You are a friggin idiot, who gives a shit what you see.

      Pardonne

    125. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by iamacat · · Score: 1

      I don't understand why people keep saying caning is a harsh treatment, but jail isn't? I say its more cruel to inflict long-term mental pain than just beat up someone. Although one month is not that long, a virus writer shouldn't be put together with violent (and horny) criminals.

      Whatever happened to "make them help clean up the damage". This is obvious in grafitti writer's case. For MSBLAST it's not feasable directly, but you can make him install patches on a thousand machines, one by one (and of course authorities will know exactly where to look if anything suspicios is found of them later).

    126. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ummmm...just thought I'd let you know...many people can actually see between the gaps in a picket fence. Not that I would want to discourage your wife (or you even...I'm open minded) from running around your yard naked. Come to think of it, running around your yard naked could be just the thing to bring property values down.

    127. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by brundlefly · · Score: 1

      Hey, if he's up all night reading /. he may yet beat the feds and run to Canada ;^)

      If he's smart, he'll drive. It's way faster....

    128. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by TClevenger · · Score: 1
      Are you seriously saying that I should have no mercy to spare for an 18-year-old who committed an entirely abstract and trivially easy crime?

      It's trivially easy to set fire to your car. I hope you'll have mercy on the innocent kid who did it, and enjoy walking to work.

      Are you seriously suggesting that anything short of jail time would make a travesty of justice for this person?

      Yes. It's no different than putting a piece of metal on a railroad track. If a train derails and causes a few hundred thousand dollars in damages, you don't get to say, "Well, it never did that before. All I wanted was a mashed flat piece of metal to hang on my wall!" and get away with it. You go to jail.

      If so, I pity your family, and suspect that there are few who count themselves your friend. Count me as a "script kiddie sympathizer".

      My family and friends aren't the type who tag houses, burn cars or rerelease viruses with the word "penis" in them because it's cool or funny. I pity the people who are victims of your script kiddie sympathizer friends and family.

      If you don't want jail for him, then let him work off the millions of dollars of damage he caused.

    129. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by RancidBeef · · Score: 1

      Wrong. If I have a relatively simple lock to pick on my front door (like Kwikset locks are reputed to be) is the burglar who picks the lock somehow not responsible because the lock was easy to pick?

      Some of us who have to work for a living also have to administrate the machines we use as our other full time job. Just because we don't spend all the extra time tracking every goddamn security flaw in Windows and installing the endless stream of patches, is it somehow no longer the virus writing bastard's fault?

    130. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      if you spent 7 hours fixing this virus then you should have gotten it. having a computer unprotected from such things is like having unprotected sex, sooner or later you're gonna catch something. who's fault is it? god's? virii are going to become an inherent part of computing, because it makes them stronger as a whole. without them holes would go unchecked and unchalleneged until one day something truly awful happens.

    131. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by RancidBeef · · Score: 1

      My previous post was associated with the wrong posting. It was supposed to be in response to the AC who said it was the sysadmins fault.

    132. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "whether he is going to get a punishment that will fit the crime."

      Which considering the damage done to the economy. should be life in prison. Too strong? Hey, you get 10 years for stealing a $20,000 car. What should you get for doing millions of dollars in damage?

      Maybe by making these delinquents boy-toys to some hardened criminals will put an end to this nonsense. Of course, it would thin out the Slashdot membership greatly, but that's another plus.

    133. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Josuah · · Score: 2, Informative

      I'm sure he's busy running a big frickin magnet over his hard drive(s) right about now...

      Oh, you are so a script kiddie. Any serious cracker knows you gotta cook your drive, preferably in a fireplace. Don't have one? Boil it (you don't want to just cook it over the stove coils or on a sauce pan because that will just start a fire).

    134. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by DarkZero · · Score: 1

      I don't think the parent poster made any comments about WHAT the punishment should be, so please don't start citing rather harsh treatments to make your argument look more interesting. You could have just as easily made the statement, "By your rationale, we should start putting graffiti artists in jail for a month because that would be 'something of a deterrent.'".

      The beginning of the discussion was about WHAT the punishment will be, specifically the fear that they will give this kid a disproportionate punishment ("throw the book at him") to make up for the fact that they can't catch any of the guys that did the REAL damage, like whoever made the original Blaster worm or the Welchia and SoBig worms. Just click "Parent" a few times and you'll find the original comments about that.

    135. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      And if his punishment is harsh, so what?

      Do you really think someone should get ass-raped in prison just because you had to format and reinstall? Yeah, that makes sense.

      If he's found guilty, he's a criminal.

      You have a lot more faith in our judicial system than I do.

    136. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      More then likely he was being a moron like most teenagers ingaged in illigal activity and showing of to freinds.

      "Hey, look, I am a Uber Hacker! This is going to mess things up good!"

      Later this moron's freing, we will call dipshit. Well, dipshit gets busted with a dime bag of pot and the cops look scary.

      "He says, if you don't tell my dad, then I tell you about a hacker that wrote the MSBlaster worm! I saw him test it out!"

    137. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by xkenny13 · · Score: 1

      What crime is committed by writing a virus?

      By this, I assume you mean a computer virus. Suffice it to say (taking MSBlaster as an example), you have created a beast that caused widespread chaos, costing (literally) the world untold amounts of wasted time, effort, energy and money.

      Why should this not be illegal?

      Inciting a riot is also illegal. Whether or not you go looting during said riot, or indeed profit from it at all, it is still illegal ... for all the same reasons as creating a computer virus.

      Now lets take this a step further. Suppose you created a REAL virus, like SARS. If half of your family was sick for two months solid, quarrantiened (sp?) and unable to live their lives (lets assume nobody actually died) ... would this not be worthy of being called a CRIME?

      Sure, nobody died, but that's two months of lost salary, health and the freedom to live one's life. You could literally lose a year of your life if it sets you back far enough at school, or it could end up costing you a promotion, the house you wanted, or the girl you wanted (yeah I know, this is Slashdot ... but still).

      Does this answer your question?

    138. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I fail to see how it's "sad" to get any virus writer - big or small - out of the virus writing business. "

      I agree. Don't small fish eventually grow into big fish?

    139. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by gujo-odori · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yes, as a matter of fact, we *should* start caning graffiti vandals in this country. It's an effective deterrent and fits the crime. The caning should, of course, be in addition to restitution to the victims. If they can't find enough people willing to do it, I'm willing to be sworn in as a caner and help them out after work.
      However, I don't think they'll have much of a problem finding caners. You may recall that at the time of that incident, the vast majority of Americans thought he was getting exactly what he deserved, and more than a few people thought he should get twice as many strokes as he got.

      Please note my deliberate use of the word vandal. People who go around spray-painting other people's property are not artists; they are vandals and criminals. It costs real people real money to clean up their property after someone vandalizes it with graffiti, and quite commonly, as soon as it's cleaned, the vandals come back and do it again. When you put graffiti on your own property, that you bought and paid for, you can call yourself an artist if you want. When you put graffiti on somebody else's property without permission, you're a criminal and should be treated as such.

      Please don't drag out Kevin Mitnick here. Kevin Mitnick broke the law, was caught, convicted, and sentenced fairly. He's a criminal. He's done his time and deserves a fresh start so he can make something honest of himself, but there is nothing good about the actions that led him to prison, and those who would defend him and call him a victim need to get a grip on reality.

    140. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And about five years later YOU will realize what a skanky whore is and realize IT IS A BAD THING after all to be a skanky whore.

    141. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by roju · · Score: 1

      Good analogies.

      I'm curious what someone could have been arrested for. What current law is broken by writing a virus?

      Making a real virus is murder/attempted. Inciting a riot has specific laws. Is there a law covering virii?

      To carry on your SARS analogy .. if someone contracted SARS and were placed under quarantine, would they not be responsible as well? If Alice got SARS from Bob after Bob breaks quarantine, can Alice press charges on Bob? To me, Bob is really at fault for Alice getting SARS, not the original vector of SARS, who really couldn't have known.

      I think a lot of people are saying "it's all the skr1pt k1dd13s fault" and everyone else is saying "it's all the vendor's fault" but people are ignoring the end-user. It's not like any end user could not have heard about the viruses in the news or at work, Sobig and Blaster are HUGE. Should they not be accountable for their machines?

    142. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by LineNoiz · · Score: 1

      My cat's name is Script... He's a Script Kitty...

      --
      "Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit." --Oscar Wilde
    143. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by bobKali · · Score: 4, Funny

      I saw Sarah Good writing the virus! I saw Goody Osborne writing the virus!

    144. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe he was typing suspiciously, perhaps with a Pakistani accent, perhaps in a public place in Georgia...

    145. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by leifm · · Score: 1

      I'd think you would just do your evil from a RAM disk, then no worries.

      --

      "Windows Me offers tremendous reliability and stability improvements..." -- Paul Thurott
    146. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by xkenny13 · · Score: 1

      Is there a law covering virii?

      IANAL, but I strongly suspect that there are. Viruses have been around long enough for them to include them in the list of computer crimes.

      To carry on your SARS analogy .. if someone contracted SARS and were placed under quarantine, would they not be responsible as well? If Alice got SARS from Bob after Bob breaks quarantine, can Alice press charges on Bob? To me, Bob is really at fault for Alice getting SARS, not the original vector of SARS, who really couldn't have known.

      I would agree with you here. If you are under quarrantine, then you should not be in contact with anyone outside of that quarrantine. Specifically breaking that quarrantine and infecting someone else should definately carry liability.

      I think a lot of people are saying "it's all the skr1pt k1dd13s fault" and everyone else is saying "it's all the vendor's fault" but people are ignoring the end-user.

      I'm not sure it's "all" anyone's fault. Microsoft certainly has the resources to sift through every line of code and fix the majority (if not all of these) sort of exploits, rather than reactively fixing them one-by-one, as they are discovered.

      That said, I have no sympathy for a kid who plays any role in the creation of new viruses. Throw the book at him!!

      It's not like any end user could not have heard about the viruses in the news or at work, Sobig and Blaster are HUGE. Should they not be accountable for their machines?

      I think so ... but keep in mind that the vast majority of the computer-using populous really don't know jack about their computers. You can give them a very specific set of steps (including keystrokes, filenames, etc.) and they will still request help on getting the patch installed.

      Additionally, I work for a large corporation. I have three machines in my office alone (that I keep up to date). Some folks have been on vacation, and had their computers infected while they were away. We have literally 1000 computers in various labs scattered across the nation ... someone's gotta keep ALL those machines up-to-date as well. Most of those are test machines, so every fresh OS install now requires a dozen extra steps to secure the box before connecting it to the 'net ... and this assumes everyone gets it right 100% of the time.

      True, end-users could be (should be) more proactive about patching their boxes. This might be a lot easier if Microsoft invented minor service releases (Service Pack 4.1?), instead of having a dual-patch identifier (MS03-026 and KB823980 are the same thing).

      Lord knows I would be more prone to keeping up-to-date if I could easily tell that I was on the latest patch by glancing at the service release level. "Oh, I'm on Windows 2000 Service Pack 4.19" ... easy as pie.

    147. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I did see Swordfish but all I can remember is Hally Berry's TITS...

    148. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by juglugs · · Score: 1

      I have to agree - this sounds like a framing.

      Yahoo! has the story of his arrest.

      They say that he renamed and also embedded into some of the files his online alias, T33kids.

      Now why would anybody intelligent enough to try modifying a worm be so dumb as to put up signs saying "I did it!! It was me...Jeffrey Lee Parson, 18, of Hopkins, Minnesota who is 6'4" tall and weighs 320lbs"??

      And why did Yahoo! think that his height and weight were relevant?

      Already the gutter press is out on a witchhunt for this guy...

      --
      This sig is in Spanish when you're not looking....
    149. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, he would be equivalent to someone who writes his name on the wall during a riot. AFAIK all he did was "personalize" a virus, give it his mark. He didn't make it any more destructive.

      IMHO he deserves (needs, actually) a good scare but no actual punishment, for what crime did he actually commit ?

    150. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Was the "penis" version any more destructive or faster spreading than the original ? No ? Then what crime did he commit, and what damage did he cause ? He didn't, after all, write the Blaster, did he ? No, he simply "wrote graffiti" on it.

      If want him to pay, then you have to prove that he caused or significantly helped to cause the damages.

    151. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey, you get 10 years for stealing a $20,000 car.

      Where do you live? Iran? South Africa? In most places in the US grand theft auto will put you away for about six months plus probation. 10 years? Hell, many murderers end up serving less time than that!

    152. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Cheech+Wizard · · Score: 1

      Does this help? From the latest news: "Jason Lee Parson, the 18-year-old Minnesotan who was arrested Friday in connection with the Blaster worm, bragged of his exploits on his own Web site."

    153. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by juglugs · · Score: 1

      Yeah, but I've just bragged to my buddy that I got it on with the best looking girl in the bar last night...

      Bragging about it is one thing, but actually doing it (and leaving evidence) is another...

      (And it's also amazingly weird that I thought I was subconsiously replying to myself - I'm Mark Smith... )

      --
      This sig is in Spanish when you're not looking....
    154. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Very nice. I wish I had mod points. Maybe one of the other three people who caught that reference can mod you up...

    155. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Josuah · · Score: 1

      I'd think you would just do your evil from a RAM disk, then no worries.

      Unless you live in the U.S. (or now the U.K.).

    156. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by nexusware00 · · Score: 1

      a picture of the guy can be seen at http://drudgereport.com For anyone that is interested.

    157. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by black88 · · Score: 0

      You don't happen to be a cop, do you? Idiot...................

    158. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Fishstick · · Score: 1
      I think you may be right on all counts:

      see his picture here


      Jeffrey Lee Parson, who was arrested August 29, 2003 on one count of intentionally causing or attempting to cause damage to a computer, according to a St. Paul district court clerk, is pictured in this Hopkins High School 2003 yearbook photo. The Minnesota teenager arrested by the FBI (news - web sites), admitted to making a copycat variant of the devastating Blaster Internet worm, even as experts combed over data to hunt down the virus's creator, officials said. REUTERS/HO/Minneapolis Star Tribune


      looks the part

      --

      There is much cruelty in the universe, John.
      Yeah, we seem to have the tour map.

    159. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by kdsolutions · · Score: 0

      SCO's press releases ARE vir(ii/uses) as far as I'm concerned... just like the e-mail worms and such, they meerely consume valuable bandwidth I could be using for porn and lower my quake III arena pingtime...

      --
      Error 666 - Satanic SCO code found in your Linux kernel.
    160. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Jafafa+Hots · · Score: 1
      The DMCA is being used to prosecute people who construct devices that CAN by used to circumvent copy protection. However, I think most of us agree that the real culprits are those that use it for such.

      I hold no opinion on the virus issue, but regarding this, please speak for yourself. I personally regard the real culprit as the people who put the copy protection in in the first place, and then have laws passed to make its removal illegal.

      --
      This space available.
    161. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by AliasMoze · · Score: 1

      My question is how the authorities separate the virus writer from the one/ones who distribute it. Is simply writing a virus a crime? I mean, anyone can do it. Or do you have to actually send out the virus?

    162. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by prtsoft · · Score: 1

      amen, same here! :>

    163. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by danheskett · · Score: 1

      Dude, I like women with lips that aren't serpentine.

    164. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by blang · · Score: 1

      Yes, as a matter of fact, we *should* start caning graffiti vandals in this country.

      I don't get yer logic. In these toot for toot and I for I times, the proper punishment for taggers is to tag them. An exact copy tattoo of their "artwork" seems fitting, plus some artwork belonging to a rival gang, prominently placed on the forehead.

      Virus writers could be sent as test rabbits to some spooky lab in Maryland, where they no doubt experiment with biological weapons.

      --
      -- Another senseless waste of fine bytes.
    165. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Naw, it was a narc.

    166. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by gujo-odori · · Score: 1

      Hmmm, it might work. On the other hand, it might become a sort of badge of honor or something.

      Having your ass whipped with a bamboo cane is not likely to ever become a badge of honor.

      We could try both and see which is worse :-)

    167. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by gnovos · · Score: 1

      I fail to see how it's "sad" to get any virus writer - big or small - out of the virus writing business.

      I'll show you:

      Judge: You're guilty, go to jail!

      FBI: Well, we got him, whew, now that the public sees that he's captured we will have to stop any further investigation or people will begin to bitch.

      Original Virus Writer: Muhahahaha... The next one will target hospitals!

      --
      "Your superior intellect is no match for our puny weapons!"
    168. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree that people need to take responsibility for their actions. In that same vein, judges, executioners, and cops need to take responsibility for their actions (instead of laying blame on the "law"). Since they probably aren't capable, the only solution is not to allow government sanctioned volience (because the government has no concience and will always be manipulated). Instead, justice should be handed out by individuals. If you think that someone deserves to die for killing your kid, fine, then you kill them. Then goto jail for 10 years to give us empirical evidence that it was jusified. -- dew

    169. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by buck_wild · · Score: 1

      The original point (The difference is a *single* graffiti artist doesn't disrupt large portions of the economy) stands.

      --
      If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
    170. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by cyberformer · · Score: 1

      Because caning is cheap. That means it isn't attractive to corporations or unions, both of which lobby for more prisons and ever-tougher laws.Neither would caning mean a large pool of slave labor that corporations can exploit for below minimum wage, or an even larger pool of inactive people who politicians don't want to show up in the unemployment statistics.

      Even worse for corrupt politicians and corporations, caning can be over in minutes, giving the convict a chance to get on with his (or, rarely, her) life, hold down a job and maintain social and family relationships. This might actually reduce crime, something that is anethema to both the incarceration industry and to politicians who require an excuse for evermore repressive laws.

      Prison, on the other hand, disrupts life to such an extent that released prisoners find it almost impossible to find legitimate employment or reintegrate into society. Many decide to go back to crime, having been forced to spend months or years associating mainly with criminals. Prison ensures a steady supply of reoffenders, increasing both profits for the prison companies and fear among the public.

    171. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by buck_wild · · Score: 1

      And the difference would be.....

      --
      If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
    172. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'll see you in court, bucko. I have prior art.

    173. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The news release said he's getting a public defender because he only has $3 in his savings account. Now what are the chances of him getting a PD that knows anything about virii?

    174. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by thelen · · Score: 1
      It's hypocrasy, ignorance and spitefullness.

      And correct! See for yourself!

    175. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by TClevenger · · Score: 1

      Yes, the "penis" version was modified enough to not be caught by the antivirus software that was looking for Blaster. That's why it's called "Blaster.B". During the intervening time before virus definitions were revamped, it continued to spread and cause damage (to at least another 7,000 computers, according to the FBI.)

    176. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by wideBlueSkies · · Score: 1

      >>The fence is cool- my wife and I can run outside naked when doing chores on the weekend without being seen.)

      Does said fence keep the neighbors from peering down at you from their second story?

      Hey, do what moves you. Run around naked, I'm all for it. But remember, the neighbors have eyes. :)

      wbs.

      --
      Huh?
    177. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by OneFootIn · · Score: 1

      Force him to write code for the rest of his life. That'll learn 'im.

    178. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by instantnoodles · · Score: 1

      I agree that he should be punished. But he should not take all the blame for the virus's damage (which is unfortunately going to happen.)

      He should be made of an example off, but the punishment should fit the crime!

    179. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by 961937360 · · Score: 1

      damn right. sux to be him but why would you want to modify a virus (rename) it anyways? they know that it causes damage. if he was just writing it , thats kool , but unleashing it to the public. diff. story. he deserves what he gets. hope he gets fuct in the neck by bubba!

    180. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Josuah · · Score: 2, Informative

      Power outages. Your RAM disk would get hosed. :P Assuming you didn't invest in a UPS, that is.

    181. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by Kjella · · Score: 1
      And if his punishment is harsh, so what? If he's found guilty, he's a criminal.

      Not quite; it just means he doesn't have as good a lawyer as the prosecution.
      Come now, there are very few cases where people get convicted of crimes they did not commit, after all the "beyond reasonable doubt" is ment to ensure just that.

      True, in many cases people that have committed crimes but have a good lawyer (or the prosecution has no or poor evidence) manage to wiggle away and so not be counted as criminals in the eyes of the law, but that is exactly to avoid finding innocent people guilty.

      So, the original statement is true. If you're found guilty, you're a criminal. That he might have gotten away with it with a better lawyer, is a different story.

      Kjella
      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    182. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by BrokenHalo · · Score: 1
      there are very few cases where people get convicted of crimes they did not commit, after all the "beyond reasonable doubt" is ment to ensure just that.

      It is, indeed, meant to ensure that, but it's not that simple.

      I've sat on jury duty twice now, and on both of these occasions a large proportion of the other members of the jury had already decided the accused was guilty before they even heard the evidence, and I nearly started a fight when I refused to roll over on the grounds that the evidence produced by the prosecution was seriously flawed, and the others wanted to go home.

      Think about it this way: Some Slashdot moderators are clearly morons or on crack :-D. OK, they are not deciding the fate of anything more than a few words, but would you want that kind of unconsidered opinion acting on a judgement in court? Well, hello, it happens every day. At least Slashdot has a karma system factored into the ability to moderate. All you have to do to get on to a jury is be on the electoral roll.

    183. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by banzai51 · · Score: 1

      Depends on intent.

    184. Re:A witness turned him in?!? by GreyPoopon · · Score: 1
      I personally regard the real culprit as the people who put the copy protection in in the first place, and then have laws passed to make its removal illegal.

      Sorry for the late reply -- I was on vacation. You make a good point, and I think I agree with you.

      --

      GreyPoopon
      --
      Why is it I can write insightful comments but can't come up with a clever signature?

  2. I doubt it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    He'll get hired by IBM in 8 months to work on internet security.

    1. Re:I doubt it. by Goldberg's+Pants · · Score: 5, Funny

      Or SCO will report that he used their proprietary code to do it, ergo everyone infected with the virus will now be sued by SCO for illegally using their code.

    2. Re:I doubt it. by Moth7 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      No, we've already had our SCO story today, that wasn't called for.

    3. Re:I doubt it. by wheany · · Score: 0

      HAHAHA! LOL! ROFL!

    4. Re:I doubt it. by Blikank · · Score: 0

      I did one time... I tripped balls dude... oh wait.

    5. Re:I doubt it. by cur3 · · Score: 1

      and then SCO will sue each user with an infected computer for running their code without a license. :D

      --
      how the end always is ...
    6. Re:I doubt it. by Goldberg's+Pants · · Score: 1

      First usage I heard of the word was in Red Dwarf back in the early 90's.

      Didn't even notice it in Reloaded.

  3. Also reported... by FireFury03 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Also reported by the BBC

    1. Re:Also reported... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Indeed, and I haven't read the article slashdot linked, since I already read one through Google News about it, but both ZDNet and the BBC report that this is *not the blaster writer*.


      It's just a kid that got the source of blaster when it was spreading, changed the source and released the known variant. It's not the guy that wrote blaster itself.


      I'd say RTFA, but I haven't myself :)

  4. Will be arresting... by earthloop · · Score: 5, Funny

    The FBI will be arresting an 18 year-old

    Coder: Huh? They are coming for me? I'd better get moving before they get here.

    1. Re:Will be arresting... by TheDredd · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Well if he's reads slashdot, he'll be long gone by now

      Is it standard FBI practise to anounce to the public they will arrest someone before they actually do?

    2. Re:Will be arresting... by Zocalo · · Score: 4, Informative

      He may be in custody already. To actually arrest someone requires a warrant, but it is possible to hold someone without a warrant for limited time provided they are allowed their phone call etc. I suspect they already have the guy and are just waiting on the necessary paperwork to arrive from the DA's office.

      --
      UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
    3. Re:Will be arresting... by cherberos · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Well, the BBC article claimes the FBI already talked to him.
      There is probably more to this then the article states (as is almost always the case with the media-reports). It's pretty vague. A witness, testing? Where was he testing, and how. AV-companies also test this stuff.

      Context is missing, so I guess a conclusion will have to wait till this afternoon.

      --
      So "used" cases that used "unused" could break, though older compilers in essence used "unused" to mean both "used" and
    4. Re:Will be arresting... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Most probably they have only a vary flimsy lead and nothing that will stand up in court. If the suspect runs then they will have some powerful circumstancial evidence to add to their case.

    5. Re:Will be arresting... by commodoresloat · · Score: 1
      Coder: Huh? They are coming for me? I'd better get moving before they get here.

      Coder continues: Good thing I'm a slashdot subscriber. That gives me a 5 minute head start!

    6. Re:Will be arresting... by TheVidiot · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Or, if he is considered an enemy combatant, (which, since he unleashed worm "terror" might actually apply) he can be arrested and held for as long as desired! No law needed!
      ----------

    7. Re:Will be arresting... by 16K+Ram+Pack · · Score: 0, Troll

      Perhaps they're hoping he goes to a country that George Bush wants to bomb^H^H^H^Hliberate.

    8. Re:Will be arresting... by pantycrickets · · Score: 1

      The FBI will be arresting an 18 year-old

      Coder: Huh? They are coming for me? I'd better get moving before they get here.


      Despite what the news makes of the FBI bungling of everything from OJs lab results, to Waco, to terrorist intelligence.. they are quite capable when it comes to tracking and arresting most 18 year old kids. You honestly don't think they are just going to waltz up to his house out of the blue and expect him to just not have run away do you? I'm sure he's been under heavy surveillance.

    9. Re:Will be arresting... by !Freeky2BGeeky · · Score: 0
      I got it... it's all a ruse to flush out script kiddies:

      You announce (loudly) that you will be arresting someone.

      All the script kiddies that might be involved panic and start making arrangements to leave the country.

      Viola, you start gathering up the suspects!

      --

      Visualize Whirled Peas

    10. Re:Will be arresting... by marko123 · · Score: 4, Funny

      He'll get an extra 20 minutes warning if he is a subscriber. If he gets done 10 minutes after reading about it, I bet he'll wish he did :)

      --
      http://pcblues.com - Digits and Wood
    11. Re:Will be arresting... by Hard_Code · · Score: 1

      "To actually arrest someone requires a warrant, but it is possible to hold someone without a warrant for limited time"

      Yeah, a "limited time", like say, 3 years... can you say violation of due process...

      --

      It's 10 PM. Do you know if you're un-American?
    12. Re:Will be arresting... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ummm....warrant or no, "custody" means arrest.

      Also, you can be arrested without a warrant. However, warrantless arrest usually depends on the officer witnessing a felony.

      Don't you watch "Law & Order?"

      PS. FBI guys don't need squat from the "DA's office". That's what U.S. Attorneys are for.

    13. Re:Will be arresting... by Sumbody · · Score: 1

      I think they try and spook a suspect into incriminating themselves by announing a pending arrest. Ideally, the suspect will be duped into calling Angelina Jolie thus conveniently flagging his guilt, and giving away his movie rights simultaneously. Laura Croft III, Kernal Raider is thusly launched.

    14. Re:Will be arresting... by meknapp · · Score: 1
      It's possible the FBI did not "publicly announce" the arrest. The article sources an "US Official". It's very possible the FBI told the White House of the impending arrest, and the White House "leaked it."


      Just a theory, but you have to pay attention to the source of the information.

      --
      "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." -- Benjamin Franklin
    15. Re:Will be arresting... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, you cannot "hold" someone without fulfilling the requirements of the 4th amendment, a warrant or an oath. At which point it becomes an arrest. The hold them until we can find a reason to book them is a legal fantasy -- only people without an expensive lawyer are subject to this. I.e., if you are poor, then, yes, Zocalo's post is right.

      The only exception is when you are being held completely against the Constitution: Mike Hawash's case. Then there are no protections. It is exactly like fascism.

    16. Re:Will be arresting... by Wireless+Joe · · Score: 1


      I think they'll get him; he's probably still at his terminal reading all the +5 funny posts because he didn't RTFA.

    17. Re:Will be arresting... by harvardian · · Score: 1

      According to this nytimes story, seven computers of his were seized on Tuesday. And he apparently admitted to the FBI already that he did it. So I think it's safe to say that the FBI's been keeping enough tabs on him to not let him slip away.

      And his name is Jeffrey Lee Parson. Too bad user jparson is a lurker, otherwise we might be able to see if this is the same jparson.

    18. Re:Will be arresting... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He is in custody. http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/6648968.h tm

    19. Re:Will be arresting... by mrseigen · · Score: 1

      It says in the article his nickname was "teekid". There sadly is nobody by that name here on slashdot. I'll bet you he was an AP.

    20. Re:Will be arresting... by darkmeridian · · Score: 2, Informative

      To clarify this parent post, there is a distinction legally between being detained and being arrested. The police can detain you if they believe that you are a witness in a case. To arrest you, however, they must have probable cause. Once they arrest you, you have specific rights. Delaying the arrest as late as possible helps the authorities.

      --
      A NYC lawyer blogs. http://www.chuangblog.com/
    21. Re:Will be arresting... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Some guy somewhere has just recieved a brown padded envelope, containing a mobile phone...

      Morpheus: Hello . Do you know who this is?

      : Morpheus.

      Morpheus: Yes. I've been looking for you, . I don't know if you're ready to see what I want to show you, but unfortunately you and I have run out of time. They're coming for you, , and I don't know what they're going to do.

      : Who's coming for me?

      Morpheus: Stand up and see for yourself. ...

    22. Re:Will be arresting... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Is it standard FBI practise to anounce to the public they will arrest someone before they actually do?

      Yes, reference: Bin Laden, Osama and Hussein, Saddam.

    23. Re:Will be arresting... by MicroBerto · · Score: 1

      Hey! Finally, watching all of those Law and Order episodes has finally paid off for you!

      --
      Berto
  5. Lucky Bastard by EvilTwinSkippy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Lucky the authorities got to him first that is. Well they say there are more virus authors out there. Hopefully all that dental equipment I bought on Ebay will be put to good use.

    --
    "Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
    --Dr.W.Edwards Deming
    1. Re:Lucky Bastard by MikeFM · · Score: 1

      You could always kidnap Bill Gates and do some dental torture to teach him why security is a good thing to build into his products. If his house runs Windows you can just infect it with a N0vAkaN3 virus to disable his security system and walk in and get him. That and he really must be made to pay for writing those horrible, laughable, The Road Ahead books.

      --
      At what price learning? At what cost wisdom? The price is a man's peace of mind, and the cost is his life.
    2. Re:Lucky Bastard by DuctTape · · Score: 1
      Lucky the authorities got to him first that is.

      Hmmm... I'll assume you're a Windows user, then.

      DT

      --
      Is this thing on? Hello?
    3. Re:Lucky Bastard by Winterblink · · Score: 1
      Ah, memories of Marathon Man. "Is it safe?!" *whirrr....* "IS IT SAFE?" *WHIIIIIIIRRRRRRR!!!!*

      guhhh..

      --
      "I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
      -Hoban Washburn
    4. Re:Lucky Bastard by EvilTwinSkippy · · Score: 1

      No but I play one on TV.

      --
      "Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
      --Dr.W.Edwards Deming
  6. Yay! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  7. Right now, the kid is reading /. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    They're planning to do WHAT Friday morning?!?!?

    1. Re:Right now, the kid is reading /. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Cue "hackers" scene where curly haired latino kid realises the FEDs are outside, starts tearing up reams of fanfold printer paper, and his mom smacks him upside the head for being a twit.

  8. Im guessing it was a mate of his by msim · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I mean, maybe he borrowed his mates computer to do something, saw something interesting, then got told to take a long walk off a short plank when he tried to blackmail him.

    Well until someone is caught and Proven to have written the virus, as far as im concerned it is a bunch of FUD.

    --

    Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know when your gonna get food poisoning.
    1. Re:Im guessing it was a mate of his by El_Muerte_TDS · · Score: 2, Informative
      Virus writers don't have friends
      "They have a chronic lack of girlfriends, are usually socially inadequate and are drawn compulsively to write self-replicating codes. It's a form of digital graffiti to them,"
    2. Re:Im guessing it was a mate of his by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      FUD stands for fear, uncertainty and doubt. Lately people have been using it to mean anything that isn't true. Knock it off!

    3. Re:Im guessing it was a mate of his by pantycrickets · · Score: 1

      "They have a chronic lack of girlfriends, are usually socially inadequate and are drawn compulsively to write self-replicating codes. It's a form of digital graffiti to them,"

      Sounds like some of the descriptions of 'hackers' from the movie Hackers. Life imitating trash.

    4. Re:Im guessing it was a mate of his by AbbyNormal · · Score: 1

      So you did it?

      Quick! Slashdot Editors, exclusive interview!

      --
      Sig it.
    5. Re:Im guessing it was a mate of his by Anonym0us+Cow+Herd · · Score: 1

      Or perhaps, trash influencing media, and therefore public opinion?

      --
      The price of freedom is eternal litigation.
    6. Re:Im guessing it was a mate of his by Zirnike · · Score: 1

      Here's a thought: The quote in the BBC article posted above said 'did more damage than the original'... Didn't the 'patch' varient have a bug in it that made it even worse than the normal infection? Maybe the reason he was testing in a place he could get caught is he was thinking of himself as a 'good' cracker...

      --
      I'm not shy, I'm stalking my prey
    7. Re:Im guessing it was a mate of his by mrseigen · · Score: 1

      Ah, CNN, reporting macro-scale profiling from an anti-virus company as news. Where would we be without them? I wonder if they'll do an article speculating that anti-virus companies write viruses. Judging from their tech "reporting" that kind of uncertified FUD sounds right up their alley.

  9. Passer by? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That sounds fishy.

    The average person wouldn't have a clue about what a developer was doing. There's no way someone can walk by and know that the guy was testing a virus.

    1. Re:Passer by? by Darth_Burrito · · Score: 1

      The average person wouldn't have a clue about what a developer was doing.

      Second that. In my experience the average developer wouldn't have a clue what the kid was working on, and that's not meant as a rip on developers.

    2. Re:Passer by? by gnovos · · Score: 1

      That sounds fishy.

      The average person wouldn't have a clue about what a developer was doing. There's no way someone can walk by and know that the guy was testing a virus.


      Now, I don't know about that there buddy... Isn't it always obvious when somone is writing a virus? In every movie I've ever seen, when they copy it to a floppy it puts a big flashing:

      "!!!Downloading Malware Computer Virus to Disk!!!"

      With a very very slow progress bar ticking off the seconds until completetion.

      Right?

      --
      "Your superior intellect is no match for our puny weapons!"
  10. A world of sympathy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I'm no sure about the world of pain. Given the age, given the media, I predict the sympathy angle will start to be played for all is worth.

  11. Assuming this is true.... by L-s-L69 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The article states that this "18 year old" is the author, but later on it talks about how he was "observed testing" which all sounds a bit dubious. Assuming he is the author I have very little sympathy, virus writers need to be accountable for their actions. If however he is just been made a scapegoat......

    1. Re:Assuming this is true.... by sperling · · Score: 2, Interesting

      This guy's probably just a kid that grabbed the worm while it were passing, modded it a little and passed it on. I doubt it's the original author...
      Although, looking at how lousy that worm was implemented, the authour might be dumb enough to get caught.

      --
      The next great MMORPG.
    2. Re:Assuming this is true.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The accountability that the US government will hold this guy to is far greater than he deserve.
      What I am talking about is the prison system. This guy DOES NOT deserve what will happen to him there. In fact hardly anybody deserves it. Do you file traders think its a good punishment for file sharing? We need alternatives until that stuff is fixed. Caning?

    3. Re:Assuming this is true.... by JLyle · · Score: 1
      The article states that this "18 year old" is the author, but later on it talks about how he was "observed testing" which all sounds a bit dubious.
      If he is the author, it doesn't surprise me at all. I have to believe that people pull stunts like this to draw attention to themselves, and there is no way that he could resist bragging about this for very long.
    4. Re:Assuming this is true.... by uxo · · Score: 0

      Assuming this is true. Assuming this is true???

      Have you even read the news?

      This guy modified the virus to email info back to his own website from the infected PCs. Doesn't take a genius (no offense intended, FBI guys) to find out who hosts it and check to see if there's source matching the virus on PCs he owns.

      Though you probably think John Ashcroft planted the evidence.

  12. Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by Drakon · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This is a ~10 year old vulnerability in DCOM.
    Corporate neglagence is still a crime. and Corporations are Individuals, therefore Microsoft, Inc. Should be incarcerated.

    1. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by EvilTwinSkippy · · Score: 5, Interesting
      Exactly how do you put a fictitious legal entity in Jail? Or perhaps you meant the entire company and everyone who worked there.

      I'm a firm believer that Microsoft, for all it's faults, isn't nearly as much of a problem as it's doting customers. Microsoft has ALWAYS been terrible at security. This is not news. So who the hell keeps buying their crap?

      Start charging the folks who deploy Microsoft for negligence.

      --
      "Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
      --Dr.W.Edwards Deming
    2. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by beacher · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Ralph Nader brought the automotive industries up to safety standards. I'm too young to remember the public's preception of him, but it sounds like we need someone like him around again. Microsoft has enough defects inside it's operating system to make it the 2000's equivalent of the Ford Pinto. They should be held accountable.

      What about the users though? This isn't the 70's and information is readily available about Microsoft's security practices. Why do they do it? Is it like riding a rollercoaster that has a 6 junction split at the end, only 2 of which leads to the egress queue, 3 of which leave you hanging on the top of a hill until you debug the rollercoaster, and the final split has a jump through a fiery ring with no landing zone? I mean come on, they all saw the rollercoaster... They all knew the ramifications of their actions.. What about them?

      -B

    3. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      My uncle was killed by the BSOD, sue Microsoft now. I mean come on, have a little perspective here.

      Whatever security problem Windows does have is nothing more than an annoyance for for the home user and it seems most of the worms and bugs could be minimized for businesses with with some common sense security (granted they shouldn't have to do this, but then they shouldn't have to have security cameras either).

    4. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by R.Caley · · Score: 1
      Exactly how do you put a fictitious legal entity in Jail?

      Well, impounding all M$ software, starting with that in use in any government agency, would be a start.

      --
      _O_
      .|<
      The named which can be named is not the true named
    5. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

      At least with Typhoid Mary, she wasn't really aware of all the damage she was doing up until the end. Microsoft has known they've had odius security problems for a long time but were so determined to cram their products down everyone's throats, that it didn't matter that vermin ,rotten food, petri dishes, eggshells and other garbage was in the mix.

      Typhoid Bill
      Microsoft Back Typhoid
      Microsoft Typhoid
      Gate's Syndrome
      Typhoid Bob
      Microsoft Typhoid Express
      Microsoft Virus Express
      Microsoft Pestule Express
      Microsoft Plague Express
      Microsoft Pandemic Express
      Windows XP Plague Island Edition
      Northwest Nile Syndrome
      Blood Letting Pack
      Malaria Coast Explorer
      Keep your Hands From Your Face Explorer

      And everyone's favorite:

      Internet Exploder

    6. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by commodoresloat · · Score: 2, Funny
      Exactly how do you put a fictitious legal entity in Jail?

      Build a fence around the Microsoft Campus. The Great Wall of Redmond.

    7. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, just like that monitoring workstation at that nuke plant was kept secure. Hur-hur-hur!

    8. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, just award huge damages to the victims of corporate malfeasance, payable by the manufacturor, just like the car with the exploding petrol tank.
      Both knew better, did nothing, and did worse, by just saying silent. Then factor in contributory negligence- and the actual damages would only amount to a few thousand dollars only, which is why the maker cant be bothered the little things.
      Like smoking, installing duff software is a sure way to push your enterprise into an early grave. Both advertise heavilly, and have trendy looking boxes, to addict the unwary.

    9. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by T-Kir · · Score: 1

      Don't most EULA's come with a 'we are not responsible for any failures blah blah' (I haven't read a EULA for years, so I'm not sure).

      Hang on, maybe we're on to something... what if a virus writer built an indemnification EULA into the virus??? ;-) Joking aside, most people might actually click the 'I Agree' button and then the virus mayhem would continue.

      --
      Are you local? There's nothing for you here!
    10. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by Anomander · · Score: 1

      The Great Wall of Redmond.

      No, no, no: The Microsoft Curtain! Unfortunately it will be so full of holes anything may pass through...

    11. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If they deployed an unpatched linux box with no firewall it would have turned out better? Yea sure, until it became a warez/kiddy porn dispensor/part time DoSer of SCO's web site..

    12. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by sirsnork · · Score: 1

      And fill it with water :-)

      --

      Normal people worry me!
    13. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by minus9 · · Score: 1

      Microsoft Windows - Unsafe at any processor speed.

      Available soon at all good book shops.

    14. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by Tom · · Score: 1

      Exactly how do you put a fictitious legal entity in Jail?

      By closing it down, of course. The purpose of jail is to seperate a criminal from society, and moving him into a location where you can keep him under control.
      For corporations, you close them down (seperation) and freeze all their assets (prevention of running away).

      --
      Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
    15. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by SlamMan · · Score: 1

      Luckily a few of their coders know how to tunnel with SSH.

      --
      Mod point free since 2001
    16. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by Alien+Being · · Score: 0

      incarcerated? how about incinerated? burn baby burn!

    17. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by NickFortune · · Score: 1
      I'm a firm believer that Microsoft, for all it's faults, isn't nearly as much of a problem as it's doting customers.
      Only insamuch as they will persist in buying the pestilential software that MS peddles...

      At worst they're guilty of being uninformed. I don't think microsoft can adopt that defence with any degree of credibility

      --
      Don't let THEM immanentize the Eschaton!
    18. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No. The virus writers need to do 15 or 20 years in prison. One or two highly publicized convictions will make other kids think twice.

    19. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by Froobly · · Score: 1

      Great, just what we need, Microsofties spending even MORE time together.

    20. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful
      This is a ~10 year old vulnerability in DCOM

      Really ? Interesting.. That puts us at 1993, The Windows 3.11 for Workgroups era, if that. And to think that the earliest version of Windows this affects is Windows NT 4.0 - released around August 1996.
      That makes it at best a ~7 year old vulnerability - still not a good track record, but if it's so easy to find out the proper numbers then why spread FUD by saying it was ~10 ?

      Furthermore..
      MS Blaster first surfaced on.. what.. August 12th, 2003 ? Something like that.
      The patch that Microsoft had to fix the vulnerability was put available on.. oh.. July 16, 2003 ?
      That's a day short of 4 weeks.
      4 weeks for people to patch their systems.
      4 weeks to close the ports involved.
      4 weeks for *you* to inform everybody you know, if you're apparently so concerned with these things, who may not be on the ball with their own security concerns that they should really, really, really install the available patch.

      And this is still more Microsoft's fault than it is admins'/users', how ?
    21. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Considering all the hoopla that the corporate software companies and their media shills (aka Laura Didiot) have been making about "indemnity" and "indemnifying their customers", perhaps it's about time somebody sent Microsoft a bill for all the damage their software has done. Then we'll see what "indemnity" actually means.

    22. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Should we likewise lock up the BIND people for their big vunerability that happen a couple years ago? Maybe we should lock them up and every person who ever looked at the source, since they were all also obviously neglegent since they failed to notice it.

      Or maybe, just maybe, it is possible for people to look at code and miss something, because it hasn't been tried before, isn't obvious, etc.

      Give me a break I can list plenty of OSS applications that have had some doozy security holes discovered. This doesn't mean the developers or those that reviewed the code were neglegent, just that they did not manage to see the problem. It is hard to predict everything that can go wrong when you have, quite literally, an infinite amount of different kinds of bad, unexpected, data that can be sent to your program.

    23. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by dmaxwell · · Score: 3, Funny

      Build a fence around the Microsoft Campus. The Great Wall of Redmond.

      And when the Mongolians come to tear it down, we'll dump sweet-and-sour pork on their heads.

    24. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh, I thought they did release a bugfix. Or do you hold any company with bugs in their code responsible, even if they do fix the bugs?

      Ok, we are talking about a lot of bugs/architectural mistakes here, but still. Nope, those people that do not update their systems regularly are the ones to blaim first.

      Microsoft has the responsibility to notice users that they publish services on the internet by default though.

      stupidity is my signature

    25. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm a firm believer that Microsoft, for all it's faults, isn't nearly as much of a problem as it's doting customers. Microsoft has ALWAYS been terrible at security. This is not news. So who the hell keeps buying their crap?

      It comes "free" with the 'puter.

    26. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by Darth_Burrito · · Score: 2, Interesting

      A company I once worked for, NCR (National Cash Register), built a moat around their headquarters.

    27. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by beowulfcluster · · Score: 1, Funny
      Start charging the folks who deploy Microsoft for negligence.
      "Nobody ever got jailed for buying Redhat."
    28. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by elel · · Score: 2, Insightful
      So who the hell keeps buying their crap?

      Companies that don't want to spend a large amount of money on employees, but don't necessarily mind spending astronimcally on license fees for MegaCorpOS. It's easy to sell windows products to suits because they use windows at home. It's not easy to sell OSS solutions because they immediately associate it with Linux which isn't as expensive as commercial unix solutions and therefore bad.

      I have noticed that it's much easier to sell people on OSS/Unix backend solutions that don't require any interaction. We're finally moving our MX off of exchange to sendmail. Sendmail on Solaris, but I wasn't here when they made their initial purchasing decisions.

      Start charging the folks who deploy Microsoft for negligence.

      I don't like using Microsoft anymore than the next devoted Linux fan, kernel changelog reader, and developer, but I did learn something from last week's virus explosion. After we were down all of Monday, I went to my manager and explained that all of this could have been prevented had we actually used some of the features of using Win2k (group policies, etc). He just shook his head and explained that we were told we couldn't push out updates because they may break installed applications. There are, after all, developers using these machines. *groans* We've since made our case to the appropriate people in charge and can now push out all the updates we want. Prior to sobig.f and msblast/welchia the netadmin department sent out copious e-mails, reminded everyone when they saw them, and even went so far as to put pieces of paper with instructions on the doors to break rooms, the office, etc. None of the end-users patched their machines. E-mails were ignored, pieces of paper all over the office warning about the DCOM exploit and instructions for patching were ignored. The problem is slightly larger than "Microsoft Sucks" IMHO.

      How many "UNIX System Administrators" do you know that are running around with exploitable desktops/servers at home/work? Who patches everything they have the day that patches are released? Overall laziness is a much larger problem than Microsoft's inability to write a secure or stable product.

      --
      Greg Poirier -- Magic Fairy Bunny Princesses, Inc.
    29. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by merovingian · · Score: 1
      Exactly how do you put a fictitious legal entity in Jail?

      Just the CEO should be sufficient:

      Criminals, criminals, criminals, criminals, criminals! criminals! criminals! criminals! CRIMINALS! CRIMINALS! CRIMINALS! CRIMINALS!

    30. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not ficticous. Any company that takes a legal form has people that are ultimately held accountable for the companines actions - legally these are known either as Principals or Managers and are called out in the articles of incorporation for the company.

      -teknopurge

    31. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Screw that, build a solid brick wall...definitely better.

      Oh, and fill it with water.

    32. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by MarkGriz · · Score: 1

      +1 ROTFLMAO (wish I had some real mod points)

      Just saw that episode the other night, so it really struck a chord. "Damn you Mogowians"

      --
      Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder.
    33. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Considering security problem after security problem which is well publicized and the fact that Microsoft is above the law, it seems rather unlikely Microsoft will ever be held accountable for anything (in the US anway)

    34. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by DavidBrown · · Score: 1

      As a complete aside, does XP have a means of allowing the system administrator to interrogate each computer on the network to see what updates have been installed?

      That would be convenient. But the small paranoid man inside me also thinks that this may be another security vulnerability.

      --
      144l. ph34r my 133t l3g4l 5k1lz!
    35. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by HBI · · Score: 1

      I'm too young to remember the public's preception of him,

      To most he appeared like a crank, to some he appeared to have some insight. Pretty much like he is viewed today.

      There could never be anyone else like him again - the country has changed too much and someone like Nader could not come to prominence just by writing a book, however true.

      --
      HBI's Law: Frequency of calling others Nazis is directly correlated with the likelihood of the accuser being Communist.
    36. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by parliboy · · Score: 1

      How do you put a company in jail? That's easy. You clean out the Board of Directors, appoint a special master, and put the company in receivership for the length of the sentence. If a company commits a crime that gets it 3 years, then it spends three years being run by outside people. If it gets the death penalty, then it's dissolved and its various components are sold to the highest bidder.

      Pretty straightforward, really.

      --
      "You're never ready, just less unprepared."
    37. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >Ralph Nader brought the automotive industries up
      >to safety standards.

      Nader bitched and moaned and helped bring more attention to certain things that were already obvious to a large number of people.

      In the end, it was liability concerns that gave us safety standards.

    38. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by geekoid · · Score: 1

      Great anology.

      The attitude the general public has about Microsoft security is the same attitude they had about seat belts.
      Ralph Nadar ran a campiaghn to have the government force the auto industry to add seatbelts.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    39. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by Slack3r78 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Except Ralph Nader didn't just attack the automotive industry's real problems. He created problems that didn't exist to gain publicity for his cause. That said, it's important to note Nader wasn't the one who "blew the whistle" on the Pinto. But here's a car that he did:

      From 1959 to 1969, GM produced a car under the name of the Chevrolet Corvair. The Corvair was radically different from any other American car produced at the time. It was rear engine and powered by an air-cooled V6. This made it a perfect target for the type of attack Nader wanted to launch. It was different, and therefore, suspect. Now, the way the rear suspension of the car was originally designed, under heavy cornering, the rear wheels could take on a positive camber, which Nader charged GM knew made the car prone to rollovers, yet did nothing about. Serious charges to say the least. Did I mention that GM was not only aware of the "problem" (more on that later) but had fixed it before Nader's book "Unsafe At Any Speed" was released?

      To say the least, these were serious charges which outraged the public, and cost GM dearly with negative publicity. But here's the thing - in response to these charges, the National Highway Transportation Agency decided to put both styles of Corvair and a few of its competitors through severe handling tests. Neither the original style Corvair nor the later style with camber compensation showed any handling abnormalities and did not roll in ANY single test. There's a much more detailed bit of information about the whole situation here.

      So what you have is Nader using people's fear of the unknown to generate massive publicity at GM's expense with little to no actual evidence on claims which are eventually proven by both the NHTA and an independent panel to be totally false. In fact, in the years since then, Nader has even admitted that the only reason the Corvair was targeted was because GM was the largest automotive manufacturer at the time, not because of any real problems with the car. And this is the reason that while I may agree with some of his ideals, I would absolutely NEVER vote for Ralph Nader. He's no less of a liar than the ones he ridicules.

    40. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by mrseigen · · Score: 1

      It seems that you are speaking of Ralph Nader as though he no longer exists. He's fighting the USPTO currently, claiming that the current system makes lawyers and scammers rich and developers poor. He also ran in the last America presidential election and probably would have made a better president than the guy that did get it.

    41. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by andreMA · · Score: 1
      And fill it with water :-)
      Water? Aw, that's no fun.

      Molten lead, maybe...

    42. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by randomgeek · · Score: 1

      XP itself? Not that I know of. However, there is this: Microsoft baseline security analyzer

    43. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by sql*kitten · · Score: 1

      This is a ~10 year old vulnerability in DCOM.
      Corporate neglagence is still a crime. and Corporations are Individuals, therefore Microsoft, Inc. Should be incarcerated.


      1) Microsoft issued a patch over a month before MSBLAST was deployed in the wild. No competent sysadmin was bothered by this "virus" in the slightest. If a doctor offers you a vaccine for free and you decline, can you blame him if you are later taken ill?

      2) Who do you expect to carry the can for all the sendmail and BIND exploits there've been over the years? Linux isn't a corporation so how about Linus himself? After all, it's his fault there's an executable stack.

    44. Re:Seriously? Arrest Microsoft, Inc. by elel · · Score: 1

      Not XP itself that I know of, but Intel LANdesk administrator will allow you to do centralized patch management. If I've read the documentation correctly (we haven't implemented this yet), then you should be able to keep track of what's installed (applications, patches, _anything_ that's been installed) on all the machines managed by LANdesk.

      --
      Greg Poirier -- Magic Fairy Bunny Princesses, Inc.
  13. arrest and fine all of them by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They should arrest all the people who got infected and spread the virus further too.

    That way they will have More Profit.

  14. He did not write MS blaster by watzinaneihm · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I submitted this story sometime ago, but got rejected. The kid actually did not write the MSBlaster worm, he modified it to make it more potent and released it. story here

    --
    .ACMD setaloiv siht gnidaeR
    1. Re:He did not write MS blaster by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Please sir, don't call 18 year olds 'kid'. In federal ass fucking prison he'd simply be known as 'bitch'.

    2. Re:He did not write MS blaster by EvilTwinSkippy · · Score: 1

      So not only is he/she a virus writer. He/She is a copycat virus writer. In other news, Hell was taking suggestions for it's upcoming 10th ring.

      --
      "Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
      --Dr.W.Edwards Deming
    3. Re:He did not write MS blaster by MoobY · · Score: 1

      I submitted this story sometime ago, but got rejected.

      Note that your article has the exact same contents as the article linked to in the slashdot article...

      The slashdot article also mentions that "It's also worth noting that this is merely one of the Blaster variations." so there doesn't seem to be anything new in your comment ...

      So why did you get modded +5? Because you were rejected? Maybe you weren't and did somebody submit it just before you.

      Modders, please consider this when modding parent.

      --
      --- Sigmentation Fault - Comments Dumped
    4. Re: He did not write MS blaster by Black+Parrot · · Score: 1, Funny


      > The kid actually did not write the MSBlaster worm, he modified it to make it more potent and released it.

      Well, that's OK then.

      --
      Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
    5. Re:He did not write MS blaster by sacrilicious · · Score: 2, Funny

      Scene: lockdown time in fed pen.

      MSBlaster Author: Hey, why are you guys sneaking into my cell?
      Big Burt: To teach you a little lesson. Here in the pen, there are two types we don't like: child molesters and computer virus writers.
      (Others): *menacing mutters of assent*
      MSBlaster Author: But MY virus attacked Windows systems!
      Large Larry: Oh! Hey, that's cool. We thought you were attacking linux. We're very sorry to bother you, we'll be leaving now.

      --
      - First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then ???, then profit.
    6. Re:He did not write MS blaster by too_bad · · Score: 1

      Bringing the entire MS portion of internet to a halt: 10 years + $250000

      Not being imaginative enough AND getting caught: What a loser

      Being the real author of MS blaster and laughing at the entire world: Priceless

      --
      DO NOT PANIC
    7. Re:He did not write MS blaster by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Every article you read about this guy tells his height & weight...WTF? So he's a lardass...are they trying to say that all script kiddies are fat ass teenagers? Or how about that all fat asses are script kiddies?? Now that offends me :-)

  15. Bragging by PrImED73 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Perhaps, as some kids are at that age do (not all before you flame me), he had been bragging about it in an irc chat room, had an enemy/concerned chatter catch wind of it and reported it to the feds with logs and IP information.

    Why not eh? stranger things have happened at sea.

    --
    --Mods giveth, Mods taketh away--
  16. Least he didn't hax0r Lunix! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hahaha, you debian zealots with your security hole filled 2.2 kernels are all laughing, but when Blastian comess and roots your debs, who are you going to blame?

    -1, flamebaitroll, and proud of it. Running on a locked down Mandrake box with AN UPTODATE SECURED 2.4.22 kernel.

    1. Re:Least he didn't hax0r Lunix! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      What port do you imagine they will connect to the kernel on?

  17. relevant haiku by deathcow · · Score: 2, Funny

    my progeny worm
    set loose to exploit your holes
    mine left for inmates

    1. Re:relevant haiku by commodoresloat · · Score: 5, Insightful

      prison rape is not
      a laughing matter. I think
      you are all sick fucks

    2. Re:relevant haiku by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      we apologize
      to those who have had their ass
      reamed while in prison

    3. Re:relevant haiku by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      cross line sentences
      does not make for good haiku
      next time try harder

    4. Re:relevant haiku by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      a haiku nazi
      his discontentment with rape
      leads to my judgement

    5. Re:relevant haiku by commodoresloat · · Score: 1

      oh so pedantic
      there was no nature either
      if we must be strict

    6. Re:relevant haiku by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      welcome to our jail
      your worm crashed our internet
      grab me that soap bar

    7. Re:relevant haiku by liquidsin · · Score: 2, Funny

      geek who goes to jail
      gets to learn all about sex.
      he's one-up on you!

      --
      do not read this line twice.
    8. Re:relevant haiku by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is for us law-abiding citizens, oh yass.

      What were you in for?

    9. Re:relevant haiku by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      so predictable it's just lame, its obvious the a world of pain is waiting in store now was placed there to elicit these jokes which you hear every fucking time theres a story which involves someone going to prison. shitty journalism.

    10. Re:relevant haiku by Xenoproctologist · · Score: 0

      One has to wonder
      if prison rape counts as a
      nature reference...

    11. Re:relevant haiku by Alien+Being · · Score: 0

      springtime of your life
      got in way over your head
      now squeal like a pig

    12. Re:relevant haiku by mlk · · Score: 0

      Arse Fucking Action
      Lots of cocks in a geek
      Get It On Kazaa

      --
      Wow, I should not post when knackered.
    13. Re:relevant haiku by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are right that in some cases prison rape is not funny. In this case I think it is. I can't understand how you can say we should have respect for someone who wrote a virus and unleashed it into the wild. For me this virus was just annoying but if it hit the right systems (say in a hospital) it could have caused people to die. I cannot have respect for someone who would do such a thing without concern to its consequences. If this person is guilty and all he gets is repeatedly raped in prison then I think he has gotten off easy. If he is guilty a more fitting punishment might be to let everyone who was affected by his virus get to hurt him in some way. Maybe those of us who were merely inconvienced by this for a day would get to throw a rock at him while those who were more seriously affected would get to hit him with a baseball bat.

    14. Re:relevant haiku by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 0

      Getting preachy on us?

    15. Re:relevant haiku by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We need to seriously reform the prison system. Or introduce other forms of punishment such as caning. Innocent people get sent to jail. File sharers get sent to jail.

      They don't deserve what happens to them there.

    16. Re:relevant haiku by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      I went to donate blood the other day.. One of the questions before I could donate was 'Have you been in Prision in the past for more than 72 hours?'

      Aparently 72 hours is all it takes.

    17. Re:relevant haiku by mlk · · Score: 1

      Troll: kind-of.
      Off-Topic: at a push.
      Flamebait: Sure, why not
      Overrated: Why the fuck does this exist?

      --
      Wow, I should not post when knackered.
    18. Re:relevant haiku by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      For me this virus was just annoying but if it hit the right systems (say in a hospital) it could have caused people to die

      Wait a moment here... Shouldn't a hospital care enough about its patients/employees to ensure something like this DOESN'T happen? Is the IT person at the hospital entirely without blame? Sure, they didn't write the virus, but dammit they should know better that one is going to come along eventually (I mean my god, there have been tons of viruses in the past).

    19. Re:relevant haiku by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It IS a laughing matter if the person being breech/muzzle loaded is guilty.
      Don't wanna be a human Certs commercial (Two,two, two mints in one!) don't write viri!

  18. Re:If by jheinen · · Score: 4, Funny

    Didn't download the patch huh?

    --
    -Vercingetorix
    "Necessitas non habet legem." -St. Augustine
  19. My deepest condolences to his family by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It must be tough to lose a kid to a mob of angry computer users. Also, if they catch the author(s) of SoBig, I propose that the bastard(s) be quartered, on pay-per-view, with half of the profit paid to the Anonymous Administrators Foundation.

    1. Re:My deepest condolences to his family by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      yeah right.

      that whole 'mob of angry computer users' got what they deserve by using an insecure or unpatched system.
      They are the ones that should get the fuck off internet or never be allowed to own a computer.

      also please notice that the writer and the vulnerable system both are from the u.s.a. so i propose that that whole country be walled off from the rest of the world

    2. Re:My deepest condolences to his family by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So all those whose systems were patched are unaffected? I guess I'm supposed to be thankful for the 1000+ worm mails which flood one of my accounts daily? Blaster caused network slowdowns and overworked administrators, but SoBig's author(s) are in for a public beating, followed by drastic measures, unless the FBI gets them first and puts them in protective custody.

  20. His defense... by r00zky · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...I got a virus in my computer and... and... it wrote another itself!

    Just remember this

    --
    I'm a chainsmokin' alcoholic sociopath, so-ci-o-path
    1. Re:His defense... by The+trees · · Score: 1

      ...it calls itself "SkyNet".

      --
      $ make work
      make: *** No rule to make target `work'. Stop.
  21. Re:writing viruses shouldnt be illegal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I agree, under the condition that shooting virus authors isn't illegal either.

  22. HAX0R!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It can take weeks of computer forensics to identify what someone was creating on a computer, so I doubt very much that they're 100% certain this kid is guilty without inspecting his equipment. And last I checked they need proof before assigning guilt (unless Ashcroft's already removed that clause from US law).

    1. Re:HAX0R!!! by DavidBrown · · Score: 1

      They need proof before assigning guilt, but only probably cause to get a warrant and arrest the guy. The statements that guy allegedly made are probably enough to get him arrested and get a search warrant issued for his computer, allowing for the weeks for computer forensics you speak of to take place.

      --
      144l. ph34r my 133t l3g4l 5k1lz!
  23. Yo, RTFP/RTFA by RedBear · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Yo, RFTP/RTFA. It says in both the article and the post that the witness saw the person "testing" the virus, not writing it. Which is even more scary in a way. How did the witness know what he was doing? What day was it? Which version is he supposed to have written? Oh, and there has been "no arrest made in this matter yet."

    The BBC article contains a bit more info: It says he's suspected of altering the original MSBlast worm into one that would cause more damage.

    It also says: "Reports suggest he is likely to be arrested by the end of the day." WTF? They're giving him advance warning?!? Run, boy, RUN!!! LOL.

    1. Re:Yo, RTFP/RTFA by Crayon+Kid · · Score: 1
      It says in both the article and the post that the witness saw the person "testing" the virus, not writing it. Which is even more scary in a way. How did the witness know what he was doing? What day was it? Which version is he supposed to have written?
      I say the hell with all the speculations. For all we know the "witness" may have gotten this urge to report the guy at the next desk to the FBI because he was an asshole and grabbed the last chocolate bar from the vending machine down the hall. Should nothing be found, oops, my mistake. But what do you know, they found him hacking Blaster code. Good boy, witness. Hey, people, we caught the Blaster author! Until some decent facts come forward this is all FUD.
      --
      i ate crayons when i was a kid and now i have two braincells and the blue ones taste nicer
    2. Re:Yo, RTFP/RTFA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      School has started, and they need to wait until the end of the school day.

    3. Re:Yo, RTFP/RTFA by c4seyj0nes · · Score: 1

      Good point, this kid was only "testing" the virus. I've always been interested in how viruses work, if i assemble a small closed network of unpatched machines and set a virus loose on them will I be arrested.

      Of course, i'm assuming this is all the evidence they have on the kid. Hopefuly the FBI found somthing that shows this kid actually wrote (improved, whatever) the virus and released it on the world.

      --
      "In wine there is wisdom. In beer there is strength. In water there is bacteria." --Old German Proverb
    4. Re:Yo, RTFP/RTFA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      -1 ?
      and people ask me why I don't register a name :P

  24. Vigilante Virus Writer by Toddimer · · Score: 2, Interesting
    "Instead he is suspected of altering the worm into a variant that did more damage than the original."
    Another /. article recently exposed a variation of this virus that actually cleaned up Blaster by automatically patching the "infected" computer, yet caused more trouble than the original in terms of network traffic.

    I wonder if this could be the variation they suspect the teen worked on? If so, it could turn into a slippery moral slope for the press to take a stand on either way...

    1. Re:Vigilante Virus Writer by EmagGeek · · Score: 1

      "If so, it could turn into a slippery moral slope for the press"

      Since when do the press have morals? They'll back up SCO on Monday and then deride them and back up IBM on Tuesday.... All depends on the ratings du jour.

    2. Re:Vigilante Virus Writer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A virus that patches a system without knowledge of that system's owner is still a virus, and it's still intruding.

      You can't just walk up to someone's house and start making what you see as 'improvements' to it. Why should it be fine to do the same for computers?

    3. Re:Vigilante Virus Writer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not a slippery slope. Anyone who writes or releases a virus should go to jail for a long time. I know that seems harsh to the average /. reader who still lives with mommy, but it's a hard world out there.

    4. Re:Vigilante Virus Writer by NaugaHunter · · Score: 1

      Not really. If someone breaks into my house from some obsession to put a fresh box of baking soda in my fridge he has still broken into my house. It might be argued that the 'repair' variant would be equivalent to coming into my house through an open door to lock it, but that's not exactly correct - he didn't connect to everyone's computers himself. It's more like he created an army of self replicating androids to walk up and down the streets checking everyone's doors. The end goal may have been noble, but all those androids in the road prevented things like ambulances and firetrucks getting through.

      Yeah, that went pretty far, but once I started the house analogy I didn't have many options.

      --
      R: That voice. Where have I heard that voice before? B: In about 365 other episodes. But I don't know who it is either.
  25. Re:If by Blikank · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Thank god he's 18 and fully accountable.

  26. no imagenation... by schappim · · Score: 4, Funny

    Anyone who's imagenation peaks at nameing one of the most significant viruses of out time as 'MS Blaster' deserves to get caught!

    1. Re:no imagenation... by Gigantic1 · · Score: 0, Troll
      Anyone who's imagenation peaks at nameing one of the most significant viruses of out time as 'MS Blaster' deserves to get caught!
      Well...Microsoft has been writing the Virus called "MS Windows" for years and nobody's prosecuted them.
    2. Re:no imagenation... by ptr2void · · Score: 1

      Good point. What about Word, Office and Access?

    3. Re:no imagenation... by jridley · · Score: 1

      What about people who make 4 spelling errors and multiple grammar errors in one sentence?
      Grammar Cops! Over here!!!! Catch him!

    4. Re:no imagenation... by zulux · · Score: 1

      significant viruses of out time as 'MS Blaster' deserves to get caught

      I'd name it: My Microsoft Virus.

      --

      Moneyed corporations, non-working 'poor' and criminal prisoners are turning productive citizens into tax-slaves.

  27. No wonder he got caught by Xel'Naga · · Score: 5, Interesting

    IIRC, the boy tried to DDOS www.windowsupdate.com, which is not the URL people usually use for windowsupdate.
    Makes you wonder what a professional terrorist could do. The worm could have been far more destructive.

    1. Re:No wonder he got caught by ideonode · · Score: 1

      "Professional terrorist"? You mean as opposed to those amateur or weekend terrorists? ;)

    2. Re:No wonder he got caught by Xel'Naga · · Score: 1
      By professional terrorist, I mean someone who is doing it because they get paid, more than because of their personal belief.

      11/9 was made by (damn lucky) amateurs. A large group of skilled North Korean computer scientists, with good equipment and vast knowledge/experience bent on destruction could make a worm which would make this one seem like childs play.

  28. It is so obvious that Microsoft wrote this article by dodell · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Infected computers were programmed to automatically launch an attack on a Web site operated by Microsoft, which the software maker easily blunted. The site, windowsupdate.com, is used to deliver repairing software patches to Microsoft customers to prevent against these types of infections.

    Talk about an advertisement.

    Anyway, doesn't it ever occur to the press that Microsoft could actually be doing a better job researching into securifying their products *pre* release? Right now (as everyone knows), they're submitting corporate-level products to corporations, making gazillions of dollars, and ignoring any bugs until someone points them out.

    When is somebody going to finally decide to call them on this and force Microsoft to do a security audit? :\

  29. Don't leave me hanging... by Defiant_Tree · · Score: 1


    experts said its author made few changes, including renaming the infecting-file from "msblast" to an anatomical reference.


    Now I gotta know what it was renamed to...



    --
    The whole world isn't against you... There are BILLIONS who just don't care one way or another. - ziggy's shrink
    1. Re:Don't leave me hanging... by bobintetley · · Score: 0

      It was "penis.exe"

    2. Re:Don't leave me hanging... by commodoresloat · · Score: 1

      It was renamed "SoBig."

    3. Re:Don't leave me hanging... by mlk · · Score: 1

      SoBig is an email virus, which spreads by stupid people double clicking anything that emailed to them. It has also had 5 or so versions.

      MS Blaster is a virus spread by a hole in Windows RPC(no idea what it is called in WinLand), and attacked stupid people who did not either patch the computer, or use a firewall.

      The only comman elements are Stupid people, and Windows.

      --
      Wow, I should not post when knackered.
    4. Re:Don't leave me hanging... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      yeah I know. It was a joke. Playing off the parent, who had said it was renamed to a part of the anatomy. I didn't say it was a good joke.

  30. Whoa. Call the NSA. Call the Guiness Book of Rec's by jabbadabbadoo · · Score: 5, Funny

    The worlds most intelligent bystander has just been identified.

  31. A Lesson from the Movie entitled, "Office Space" by Gigantic1 · · Score: 1

    Since the laws have gotten tougher in the United States, Crackers and Virus Writers are no longer sent to "Club Fed" - they are incarcerated in "Federal Pound-you-in-the-ass Prison". I guess, he'd really be a "Cracker" then, huh? (so to speak)

  32. How does that "First they came for the.." poem go? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    First they came for the blue collar jobs, but you didn't do anything because you where a college educated white collar snob...

    Then they came for the white collar jobs and everyone said welcome to reality pompous fucker...

    Or something like that.

  33. /. EDITORS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    would you mind closing the tags on the front page please?

  34. Symantec........ by tankdilla · · Score: 1, Funny

    ...and the rest of the (anti)virus companies should be sending this guy care packages or something to help this him out. If not for him and other virus writers (i.e. the ones who really wrote the virus), all those companies would be out of business. Business for them has been booming because of all the virus activity, the kid should at least get a free carton of cigarettes before he's carted off to jail.

    --

    -Look lively. LOOK LIVELY!!! --Mr. Shmallow

    1. Re:Symantec........ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Screw the carton. If I were him I'd want first and formost a stout cork, then some epoxy to go with it. And as a first line of defense and last resort, the O'reily book, "A pansy's guide to Jujitsu."

      Give him a carton of cigarettes they're just going to beat him up and take them so they have something to smoke while they're riding him around the cell block.

  35. sure it's blunt by igorxa · · Score: 1

    Infected computers were programmed to automatically launch an attack on a Web site operated by Microsoft, which the software maker easily blunted. The site, windowsupdate.com, is used to deliver repairing software patches to Microsoft customers to prevent against these types of infections.

    uh, yeah, if you mean by blunted they took the site down. i can block the worm from my computer too! just let me pull this power cor/

  36. will be arresting by MikeHunt69 · · Score: 1, Funny

    The FBI will be arresting someone.. Hm. I wonder if thats Kevin Mitnick/Guantanamo Bay-style "will be arresting" or they really will arrest him so he can have a proper trial.

  37. Too late... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm already in Mexico reading /. while I'm riding my gnu.

    1. Re:Too late... by commodoresloat · · Score: 1, Funny

      That's your GNU/gnu, you insensitive clod!

  38. m$ security by 0xbeefcake · · Score: 1

    There's something deeply ironic about the .NET Messenger messenges I've been getting from M$ today telling me that my Linux-based MSN client is a security risk.

  39. Ha ha ha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    because prison rape is so funny. (Hint: no it's not)

    You are an idiot!

  40. obligatory quote... by chickerino · · Score: 1

    You're going to enter a world of pain, son. We know that this is your homework. We know you ...

  41. Any chance ... by weileong · · Score: 1, Funny

    Any chance he goes around calling himself "Zero Cool"?

    1. Re:Any chance ... by azzy · · Score: 0

      Or maybe Crash Override.

    2. Re:Any chance ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Cornhole Interup would be my bet.

  42. He's innocent. by Rogerborg · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Or have we forgotten how the system works?

    Alleged writer. Innocent until proven guilty beyond all reasonable doubt.

    Based on this report, the evidence so far is one witness of unknown competence. "Testing the infection"? I "tested the infection" yesterday by making sure that AVG can contain Blaster.

    Oh, I'm sure that the FBI aren't (quite) dumb enough to announce this without doing some investigation, but the fact that they're announcing it as a fait accompli before they've even made the arrest indicates that this is a PR exercise.

    But that's irrelevant speculation, because whatever their or my or your opinion on it, this guy is innocent... pause for breath... until proven guilty beyond all reasonable doubt. Let's drop the tabloid press pack mentality here.

    --
    If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
    1. Re:He's innocent. by Frodrick · · Score: 2, Troll
      Or have we forgotten how the system works?

      Alleged writer. Innocent until proven guilty beyond all reasonable doubt.

      That was pre-911. Now it is "You're guilty because we say so. Either plead guilty now or A) be charged with enough trumped-up bullshit to keep you in jail for life, or B) we will just hold you for eternity as a 'material witness'".

    2. Re:He's innocent. by Phantasmo · · Score: 0, Troll

      Oh, I'm sure that the FBI aren't (quite) dumb enough to announce this without doing some investigation

      I doubt it matters to them whether he's done anything wrong, they'll just throw the book at him anyway. The US government's got to say it's done something right.

      The world's most powerful millitary faces off with the weakest to go get Osama bin Laden and... they can't find him.
      So they enter Iraq to distract people from their failure and... they can't find the WMD or Hussein.

      If they can't "get it right" abroad then they'll do it at home.

      Hurrah! Some kid was arrested! Now there will be no more viruses or worms! Next we'll outlaw spam and that will stop, too!

      --

      The US Army: promoting democracy through unquestioned obedience
    3. Re:He's innocent. by Weirsbaski · · Score: 1

      Or have we forgotten how the system works?

      Not at all. Slashdot continually reminds us how the innocent guy can get hosed by the system.

      Alleged writer. Innocent until proven guilty beyond all reasonable doubt.

      But in jail just the same. Either charged with a crime, or held as a "material witness"

      Based on this report, the evidence so far is one witness of unknown competence. "Testing the infection"? I "tested the infection" yesterday by making sure that AVG can contain Blaster.

      Don't underestimate the value of an unknowledgable witness. "The witness is a Teacher? (S)he Must know what (s)he's talking about"

      Oh, I'm sure that the FBI aren't (quite) dumb enough to announce this without doing some investigation, but the fact that they're announcing it as a fait accompli before they've even made the arrest indicates that this is a PR exercise.

      True. But the "arrest" may be just a formality after the guy is already being held as a material witness.

      But that's irrelevant speculation, because whatever their or my or your opinion on it, this guy is innocent... pause for breath... until proven guilty beyond all reasonable doubt. Let's drop the tabloid press pack mentality here.

      If he didn't do it, I hope they let him go quickly. But I wouldn't be surprised if they got the right guy.

      --

      I am not a sig.
    4. Re:He's innocent. by NickFortune · · Score: 1
      I take your point, and I know understand that you're not portraying these changes as good things.

      All the same, the grandparent post makes an important point. Innocent until proven guilty. Just because the goverment seems to be ignoring that matter doesn't mean we need lose sight of it.

      Thre is a principle at stake here. The auithorities may not be honoring it; it may even no longer be enshrined in law. nevertheless the principle remains and remains worth fight for: Innocent until proven guilty!

      Odd, I don't remember getting on that soapbox...

      --
      Don't let THEM immanentize the Eschaton!
    5. Re:He's innocent. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Innocent until proven guilty if for the government. I can think or say whatever I want (as long as I avoid slander). So cut the indigent BS. I normally like you comments and they are often full of speculation.

    6. Re:He's innocent. by Rogerborg · · Score: 0

      Sorry, I'm really ranting at that tubby bitch Cowboy Neal for allowing such a vile piece of libel. Slashdot don't control our submissions, but they do select stories, and they're currently libelling merry hell out of the accused person here.

      Heck, maybe they are guilty as original sin, but if I'd been collared in a cyber cafe while playing around with a worm, I'd like to at least be given the chance to put my case before I was judged and sentenced by the masses on Slashdot.

      --
      If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
    7. Re:He's innocent. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      THANK YOU! I can't believe how long it took for someone to say this. more than 3/4 of the page. Don't many of us "test the infections". Hell, I still have I love you source code. I've created virtual machines to test viruses and their containment with antivirus software and I've used isolated networks as well. When doing this type of thing is a crime we'll be in a lot of trouble because "Good guys" won't be able to learn how the virus works in order to defend against it. Testing a virus shouldn't be a crime. Even writing a virus shouldn't be a crime. Releasing a virus is the only thing worthy of being a crime.

    8. Re:He's innocent. by Frodrick · · Score: 1
      Innocent until proven guilty. Just because the goverment seems to be ignoring that matter doesn't mean we need lose sight of it.

      I quite agree. I have seen far too many cases of trial by press release. Everyone is entitled to a presumption of innocence until their guilt is proven beyond resonable doubt in a court of law. It is the foundation of modern Anglo-American Criminal Justice.

      And without even hearing the Defence case, I find it very easy to imagine some kid playing with a copy of the worm that he happened to get infected with and then getting turned in to the feds by one of our ever more patriotic/paranoid post-911 citizenry.

      The sad part is that even if he is totally innocent (never wrote it, never spread it, never connected to a network) that isn't going to stop the Feds from throwing him in jail, letting him sit for six months, and then making him a plea-bargain deal he can't refuse that leaves him with a 2-5 year jail term and a felony record.

      And the worst part is: The Feds will see it as justice because, hey, they KNOW he's guilty.

      Fact for the day: The US imprisons a larger percentage of its population than ANY other nation on earth.

    9. Re:He's innocent. by Cyno · · Score: 0, Troll

      He's guilty because he's alleged to have written one of the most popular viruses this year. And the virus had to cost at least billions, if not trillions of dollars in damage to countless corporations, governments, Windows users, etc.

      All those victims want someone to hang for what they did and they finally put a face on that someone. See, today we don't need real evidence when secret evidence will work good enough. The people will believe both. And all they really want is someone to pay, preferably with their life. Because it makes us feel better, or maybe safer, but they're really the same thing.

      I mean, nobody in their right mind could ever blame Microsoft. They didn't know it was insecure until it was too late. Its not their fault. They'll try harder next time.

      This is why everyone should be using Windows.. so Microsoft has the money to fix these problems before they happen.

    10. Re:He's innocent. by Overly+Critical+Guy · · Score: 1

      What "tabloid press pack mentality?" We're just talking about some kid who probably wrote this thing. Of course the FBI going to announce that they have a suspect writer for one of the variants, to let other virus writers know that this behavior is not tolerated. Good for them. If he turns out to be innocent, nothing will happen to him. What are you complaining about?

      --
      "Sufferin' succotash."
    11. Re:He's innocent. by Cyno · · Score: 1

      awww, they called you a troll, too.

      Guess you can't comment about post-911 America anymore. Its probably not even protected by the 1st.

      Some people can't handle the truth. :)

    12. Re:He's innocent. by Cyno · · Score: 1

      Fact for the day: The US imprisons a larger percentage of its population than ANY other nation on earth.

      And that percentage doubled within the last 5 years. Boy, we must have a lot of criminals or something.

    13. Re:He's innocent. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      seems to me that 500,000 of us 'tested' the infection also.

    14. Re:He's innocent. by theblacksun · · Score: 1

      It's not looking that way. In fact, according to reuters he sounds like quite a moron. Nothing quite like connecting the virus that you modified to a website registered in yourname.

      --
      Ignorance kills, complacency kills, hatred kills, but usually not the ones guilty of them.
    15. Re:He's innocent. by chickenwing · · Score: 1

      When I heard Thursday night that they were going to be arresting the author of Blaster on Friday, I pretty much assumed it was some kind of ploy. These kinds of announcments are not made until the suspect is in custody.

      My guess is that they want to trip up the author in some way by making this announcement in advance.

  43. Never attribute to conspiracy..... by TechnoGrl · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ....what can just as easily be attributed to stupidity.

    I guess this puts a finish to the "spammers are releasing viri into the wild" theories??

    --
    ----- In Your Cubicle No One Can Hear You Scream...
  44. smart career move! by romit_icarus · · Score: 1

    I can just imagine all those security departments dropping job offers at him...

  45. "A witness reportedly saw the teen testing ..." by souter · · Score: 1

    Just goes to show how unneccessary this QA malarkey is.

  46. Cryptic message by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Researchers also discovered another message hidden inside the infection that appeared (emphasis added) to taunt Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates: "billy gates why do you make this possible? Stop making money and fix your software!"

    Yup, that's cryptic alright. I'll bet the FBI's first question will be to ask what he meant by that.

    1. Re:Cryptic message by LogicX · · Score: 1

      For full reference: (only 'cryptic' I found)
      Hidden inside the worm are two messages. One
      taunts Microsoft chairman Bill Gates and
      reads: "billy gates why do you make this
      possible? Stop making money and fix your
      software!" The other is more cryptic
      and says: "I just want to say LOVE YOU SAN!"

      --
      May this post be indexed by spiders, and archived for all to see as my Internet epitaph.
    2. Re:Cryptic message by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      in order for thing 'B' to be 'more cryptic' than thing 'A', thing 'A' must by the laws of grammar and logic be at least 'somewhat cryptic'.

  47. Re:If by Frodrick · · Score: 1
    Thank god he's 18 and fully accountable.

    Yeah. And his cellmate won't have to worry about being charged with Statutory Rape, either. ;+)

  48. can you say PENIS? by leuk_he · · Score: 2, Funny

    from the story:

    The "Blaster.B" version of the infection, which began spreading Aug. 13, was remarkably similar to the original Blaster worm that struck two days earlier; experts said its author made few changes, including renaming the infecting-file from "msblast" to an anatomical reference.

    can you say "PENIS.EXE" that was the executable name of the variant.

    And any bystander seeing some kid playing with "PENIS" might call the police.

    How to code this: "RENAME MSBLAST.EXE PENIS.EXE" (and a replace of the strings)

    1. Re:can you say PENIS? by b1t+r0t · · Score: 1

      Really. Zzzzzzz. Wake me when they catch the guy who's been writing SoBig.

      --

      --
      "Open source is good." - Steve Jobs
      "Open source is evil." - Microsoft
    2. Re:can you say PENIS? by Animus+Howard · · Score: 1, Funny

      > And any bystander seeing some kid playing
      > with "PENIS" might call the police.

      That may be my all-time favorite SlashDot quote.

    3. Re:can you say PENIS? by buck_wild · · Score: 1

      "And any bystander seeing some kid playing with "PENIS" might call the police."

      Well, maybe if he was in the middle of the park, or in the street. But in the privacy of his own home? Give a kid a break!

      --
      If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
  49. Re:If by tankdilla · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Would've been kinda funny if the kid was actually a kid, like 12 yrs old or something. The headlines would say:

    ***World crippled by 12 year old***

    Who would've gotten blamed then and what would've been the consequences?

    --

    -Look lively. LOOK LIVELY!!! --Mr. Shmallow

  50. Where's the legal defense fund? by goldspider · · Score: 3, Funny
    This kid wasn't doing ANYTHING WRONG!

    This is the beauty of OPEN SOURCE!! He got ahold of some code, modified and improved it, and released it back into the public domain! That's how it's SUPPOSED to work!

    Think of the outrage that would have been touched off if he kept the modified code for his own use... INFORMATION WANTS TO BE FREE!!!

    Where do I send my money? This guy is a HERO, not a CRIMINAL!

    --
    "Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
    1. Re:Where's the legal defense fund? by aeoo · · Score: 1

      Is this really funny? I didn't laugh.

    2. Re:Where's the legal defense fund? by cdf123 · · Score: 1

      Actually, I'm worried that this might be the case. I've collected viri before, and looked through their source code, but only because I'm fascinated. I want to see how they work, and maybe find a better way to protect myself from them. But I never released one on the internet before. I hope they find more proof than just one person seeing him debug/testing it (granted that is suspicious, but not illegal). IANAL, but without evidence of him distributing this worm, or at least a lot that would show intent, I don't think they have much of a case.

    3. Re:Where's the legal defense fund? by Mechanik · · Score: 1

      This is the beauty of OPEN SOURCE!! He got ahold of some code, modified and improved it, and released it back into the public domain! That's how it's SUPPOSED to work!

      Dude, don't be giving Microsoft any more ammo for their "viral GPL" FUD :-)


      Mechanik

    4. Re:Where's the legal defense fund? by molarmass192 · · Score: 1

      That's an awesome defense you just put together though you MNBAL. I've also toyed with infecting code routines and buffer overwrites but have never released anything, just learned from the experience. It may be hard to get his point across in court but if they can't prove that he is the original source of the virus, then it would be hard to get a conviction but then again, IA(also)NAL!

      --

      Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws-Plato
    5. Re:Where's the legal defense fund? by Stephen+Samuel · · Score: 1
      This is the beauty of OPEN SOURCE!!

      Hold on: You mean that this thing was GPLed???

      I never got source code with my infection! Did you?? Oh boy... GPL violaiton! This guy is in deep doodoo.

      (sorry -- just had to do that).

      --
      Free Software: Like love, it grows best when given away.
    6. Re:Where's the legal defense fund? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you actually believe the parent's rant is correct, then you've got bigger problems than an absent sense of humor.

    7. Re:Where's the legal defense fund? by aeoo · · Score: 1

      If you actually believe the parent's rant is correct, then you've got bigger problems than an absent sense of humor.

      No, I think he's deriding open source programmers and hackers. That's not even that bad, but it's just totally flat and it lacks creativity. I think Slashdot moderators who +1 such trash have big problems. If the guy at least had some wit instead of just canned "parroting" style...

      <rant>
      I have -2 modifier on all "Funny" posts for a reason. It's not that I don't laugh (I do, daily) or that I don't have a sense of humor. Slashdot's concept of "funny" is just warped (like "imagine a beowulf cluster...", or "step 1, step 2...profit", or "you insensitive clod..." or any number of tired canned trash or otherwise stupid, witless humour). Slashdot humor has got to be the worst.
      </rant>

    8. Re:Where's the legal defense fund? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You need a serious dose of lighten-the-fuck-up. /. wouldn't be the place it is if not for the clod, profit, beowulf, etc posts.. it would just be any other news site with forums attached to stories..

      Personally, the soviet russia jokes STILL make me laugh, provided a lesat _some_ though has been put into them..

    9. Re:Where's the legal defense fund? by aeoo · · Score: 1

      I laughed at a few of each, but after about 5th post or so, they get stale. Bite me.

  51. Re:writing viruses shouldnt be illegal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    also shooting anyone that spreads them further.

    maybe shoot them a little bit, like in the legs or arms?

  52. Re:If by cs02rm0 · · Score: 1

    Why? Only a kid really at 18 and it's not like anyone's going to get anything back from the blaster mess.

    You're a fool if it effected you anyway.

  53. Well... by Defiant_Tree · · Score: 1

    Clearly this is not the best advertisement!

    The kernel of truth in your criticism is that they claimed to have audited their own code over a year ago, in a highly publicized move. This raises doubts about how thorough that was, since MSBlast affects even their most recent release, Server 2003.

    --
    The whole world isn't against you... There are BILLIONS who just don't care one way or another. - ziggy's shrink
  54. Misinformation through omission by SgtChaireBourne · · Score: 1
    Anyway, doesn't it ever occur to the press that Microsoft could actually be doing a better job researching into securifying their products *pre* release?
    I think a lot of people are starting to realize that these problems are due to one company's faulty products. And that the solutions are go with what works rather than chase an ideology.

    The obstical to progress is lack of discussion about solving the problem, and especially lack of discussion about selecting technology based on technical merits rather than admiration of Bill Gates' personal wealth.

    It is very difficult for casual users to find a way off the Wintel hamster wheel. Not only do OEMs push only MS products, computer magazines do not publish real product reviews any more. It's like one big cult and discussion or critique of technical issues turns ad hominem. e.g. "Oh, you just hate MS".

    It's even harder for the non-technical, general public. Radio, television, and newspapers contribute to the problem by effectively providing spin / damage control for MS by omitting the obvious fact that all these worms and viruses are due to product defects either in design or implementation or both. Instead of refering to all MSTDs as "Interent Worms" or "E-mail Viruses, news sources could easily be pointing out the cause of the problem or replacement technologies. e.g. Point out mail clients like Eudora, Evolution, Mozilla, Opera, and even old pine are consistently higher quality, especially in regards to stability and security. Or, point out operating systems like Linux, BSD, Solaris, Netware, QNX, or OS X which are easier to maintain, more stable, and more secure. Now that KDE is as easy (or difficult) as WInXp, there's no excuse not to.

    It's probably time to ask, "Is Windows ready for the Internet?" The answer is likely to be a resounding, "NO!"

    When is somebody going to finally decide to call them on this and force Microsoft to do a security audit?
    Or an accounting audit. Microsoft is a firm which has grown through acquiring other technolgies and companies. Growth-through-acquisiting firms tend to drop like a rock once they stop expanding.
    --
    Beta is broken and the link to classic doesn't work. Stop wasting our time or there won't be anybody left here.
  55. Re:If by Blikank · · Score: 1

    The U.S. attorney in Seattle is heading the case, hmmm why Seattle?? this kid is in some trouble....Oh, and It did effect me, (at work) but patching hundreds of Windows systems is not my responsibility. He will get what he deserves, he knew better.

  56. Re:If by davmoo · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yes, I did. And in fact I did before the virus was even released. Further, I blocked port 135 at my router the day the virus was released. I have never even once had a virus infect any computer I own, even the ones running Microsoft OSes and Outlook/Outlook Express, and I've owned computers since 1980 starting with a TRS-80 Model 1.

    Don't assume that because I think the little shits that write viruses should be held accountable for their actions that I am a newbie, a Microsoft fanboy, or a victim. You would be very wrong on all three counts.

    If I were to remove the driver side window from my car and replace it with a piece of trash bag, making the car obviously insecure to anyone with more than two brain cells, that still does not give someone the right to damage the interior of my car. Likewise, just because Microsoft peddles insecure garbage does not give some little pimple-faced moron with no social life other than his left hand the right to damage someone's computer.

    --
    I want a new quote. One that won't spill. One that don't cost too much. Or come in a pill.
  57. Re:It is so obvious that Microsoft wrote this arti by Advocadus+Diaboli · · Score: 1
    When is somebody going to finally decide to call them on this and force Microsoft to do a security audit?

    Well, trying to read between the lines of the article I think that Microsoft did a security audit and one outcome of it is stuff like the article. Because with that you give a message to the public that says

    1. Writing viruses and worms is a bad crime.
    2. The FBI is going after those criminals.
    3. And finally they catch them.

    So the average "John Doe" is fine because he didn't do something wrong and justice is brought to the bad guys. And of course its not the fault of anybody that a software is insecure since we all know that its impossible to write software without bugs. Brave new world!

  58. This is a bluff... by smack_attack · · Score: 1

    They're probably watching a handful of suspects and they're going to see if any of them run.

  59. Go, Go FBI Action Rangers!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And the FBI Action Rangers save the day once more. Tune in next week when they take on... Microsoft!

    FBI Action Rangers (c) Microsoft 2003. All rights reversed.

  60. WARNING !!!!! by KoolDude · · Score: 1


    All this is a clever trick. FBI is waiting at the border looking for script kiddies fleeing to Canada in panic.

    :)

    --
    getSexySig(); /* returns sexy signature */
  61. Caught after Braggin' - How typical! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Few years ago, one of our local companies got hacked and it took like 1 week to catch the "hacker".

    How? He started bragging about what he did in a IRC chat room... But oops.... few days later caught!

    For gods sake he was like 23 years old!

  62. Re:writing viruses shouldnt be illegal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    have you dummys actually seen someone shot to death with a firearm, believe me it is not pretty...

    jail time is more reasonable...

  63. we want to crucifix him? by alexmagni · · Score: 1
    > Hope whoever it was had fun,

    > because a world of pain is waiting in store now.

    Jeeesus, with all the real pain waiting for you as you cross the street, seems from this (and other people's) post we are really exagerating.

    It's not a bullet planted in your front...

  64. Re:Free the kid and arrest MS! by sithlord2 · · Score: 1


    Together with the developers of Apache and sendmail. These software-packages had security-holes too.

    --
    ...You are over-qualified and under-paid. If we give you a raise, we will break the cosmic balance of the universe.
  65. Re:writing viruses shouldnt be illegal by Frodrick · · Score: 4, Insightful
    writing viruses shouldnt be illegal

    I am pretty sure it isn't illegal. What is illegal is putting it on someone's computer or network without permission, intentionally spreading it (in an active form) or allowing it to spread itself across space one does not own.

    Since a virus is nothing more than a computer program, it would be incredibly difficult to make writing one illegal without catching a lot of legitimate software in the same net.

    eg - Under a literal interpretation of one of Britain's early "anti-virus/anti-trojan" statutes, Windows 95 would have qualified as a 70 megabyte trojan!

  66. No blame for MS? by bucketman · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So the writers of these virii certainly are doing a bad thing and certainly are aware of this, but it seems to me that Windows/Outlook/Office ship with a big red button and endless admonitions not to push it. Of the two, the button maker and the button pusher, I know who I find fault with most, but I suspect that the media and most observers are becoming accustomed to these ridiculous risk exposures as somehow inherent in computing and thus tend not to blame the button maker. Think also that this effect has something to do with why these problems never seem to actually get *fixed*.

    1. Re:No blame for MS? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The way I see it, FBI makes a highly publicized arrest, only days after the worms hit, "Justice is Served!! TADA!!! HUZZAH HUZZA!!!" and some stupid kid (Let's face it, how smart were you at 18?) goes to Sing-Sing to toss his cellmate's salad for the next 12 years, while Microsoft, the REAL villains in this tiny psychodrama are not only held NOT accountable for selling the Corporate and Government worlds a phony song and dance about the security of their products and in the end Mr. and Mrs. Joe Public can rest easy in the knowledge that a child will rot in prison for the next decade, while they suck up the next release of Windoze EZ with EVEN MORE security holes and continue to buy the drek that the Internet is a safe mainstream commodity... UNTIL THE NEXT TIME IT HAPPENS AGAIN...

      Frankly I'm not sure if the kid deserves jail time or a medal for giving the world a wakeup call.

      If an 18 year old script kiddie can bring the world to it's knees overnight, I think that speaks VOLUMES about what's REALLY WRONG with the software industry and the garden path it's leading us all down.

    2. Re:No blame for MS? by DirkDaring · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I bet you are in the same nut camp that wants to punish the gun makers every time someone goes off the deep and goes on a shooting spree.

      That darn insecure Smith & Wesson!

    3. Re:No blame for MS? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Remind me to steal your car, plunder your credit card and have sex with your gf. We all know that cars have lousy anti-theft prevention, banks don't put enough into securing credit cards and that women are lying cheating bastards.

      I am doing you a service :)

    4. Re:No blame for MS? by Overly+Critical+Guy · · Score: 1

      Think also that this effect has something to do with why these problems never seem to actually get *fixed*.

      What clueless monkeys modded you up? The patch was out a whole month before. The government warned you TWICE to install it. Slashdot had an article about it, and it was reported everywhere. Windows Update shoved it up as a critical patch.

      Windows is not more insecure than any other OS. It's just more widely used, and therefore, more widely abused. That's a fact, so you can stop your internal dialogue. Remember how GNU got hacked recently? That seems to have quietly slipped from people's minds. Also, all the corrupting 2.4.x series Linux kernels, including the "turkey" kernel that blasted ext3 filesystems. Check out Linux Security sometime.

      --
      "Sufferin' succotash."
    5. Re:No blame for MS? by ProtonMotiveForce · · Score: 1

      You're clearly of questionable rationality, but I'll try anyway.

      Let me offer you a small piece of advice to uncloud your thinking. Microsoft had released patches for all these holes some time ago. Now, with this piece of information, try - really _try_, to focus your thoughts on some more rational conclusions.

  67. Yo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I always thought slashdot was 'the shit' in the hood. Um, right on braw. Eh, peace out. 'smooch, smooch. peace sign across the chest with gay look on my face'.

  68. how odd, not the situation here in UK by DrSkwid · · Score: 0, Informative

    Arrest is being detained against your will by the state.
    If he is not free to go at any time he must have had his rights read to him.

    "you are under arrest, you have the right to remain silent etc."

    All police officers carry a warrant card which gives them the power of arrest.

    You can be held without charge for a fixed period, 72 hours iirc. (you look it up!)

    What is it called then in the States to be held involuntarily by the police while you wait to be arrested?

    Curiously our police invented something called de-arresting. The used to arrest hunt-sabs on spurious charges but when we sued the arse off them they stopped. They would nick you removed you from the scene, keep you in a van for 2 hours then de-arrest you. No paperwork, usually no credible witnesses and no due process.

    Fuck 'em. In the end they just made sabbing illegal full stop.

    Fuck all you hunters, shooters and fishers. I hope you lose your arms in a thresher.

    --
    There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
    1. Re:how odd, not the situation here in UK by SlamMan · · Score: 4, Funny

      Dude, that was totally incoherent. Go get your coffee, and try again.

      --
      Mod point free since 2001
    2. Re:how odd, not the situation here in UK by GigsVT · · Score: 2, Insightful

      He's sorta right, it's similar here in the US. Anytime you are detained, you are technically under arrest. If you say "Can I leave now" and they say "no", then you are basically under arrest. At that time it's best to not say anything more.

      --
      I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
    3. Re:how odd, not the situation here in UK by zazas_mmmm · · Score: 1
      Go get your coffee, and try again.

      Good proposal...but in England it's the afternoon already.

      I think the problem was more his accent.

      --
      I'm a friend of a friend of the working class.
    4. Re:how odd, not the situation here in UK by CurlyG · · Score: 1

      Translation: hunt-sabs = saboteur of a fox-hunt.

      --
      You know they call 'em fingers but I've never seen 'em fing. Oh, there they go.
    5. Re:how odd, not the situation here in UK by DrSkwid · · Score: 2, Informative

      At that time it's best to not say anything more.

      Especially if you have not been read your rights. Technicalities like that can sometimes get you away scott free, guilty or not.

      Usually, however, you are asked at interview if you have been read your rights.

      I used to help run arrest awareness workshops. I made a great bastard copper. I've had people crying without much encouragement. If you are involved in any kind of protest group that is likely to brush with the law, practice at hostile interviews is invaluable. When people are scared their mouths tend to flap. They are conditioned by TV to start explaining *why* they committed the "crime". Cops don't care about truth and justice, they care about arrest rates. They want both parties to admit wrong doing and let the CPS/DA decide who to charge.

      --
      There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
    6. Re:how odd, not the situation here in UK by alcmena · · Score: 1

      In which case I would assume it is always best to say, "yes." You're not under oath at that point, so they cannot go after you for perjury. If you were read your rights, then you weren't lying. If not, then they just started interviewing you without you knowing your rights.

      I don't know how well it would hold up in court if the officer said, "Well ummm... He wasn't actually read his rights. But he said he was!!!"

    7. Re:how odd, not the situation here in UK by Happy+go+Lucky · · Score: 1
      Arrest is being detained against your will by the state.If he is not free to go at any time he must have had his rights read to him.

      Again, not in the US. An arrest is the act of reducing someone to custody, by "significantly impairing" his freedom. Merely preventing him from leaving doesn't count.

      "you are under arrest, you have the right to remain silent etc."

      Again, not here. Only required prior to in-custody interrogation.

      What is it called then in the States to be held involuntarily by the police while you wait to be arrested?

      Detained, for a period reasonable under the circumstances. Most of the time, the courts will allow up to half an hour before we need to either escalate to an arrest (requiring the greater legal justification) or turn someone loose.

      As for de-arresting, there's nothing wrong with the concept. If I hook someone up, lodge him with the sheriff, and subsequently find no basis to hold him (complainant admits to lying, etc.) I can have him kicked loose. (And then charge the complainant with False Reporting, but that's another story.)

      What's the attraction of hunt sabotage? Being an animal-rights ass or just fighting some dumbassed class war?

    8. Re:how odd, not the situation here in UK by AbbyNormal · · Score: 1


      ..shake...tremble...shake

      I'm on my fourth cup today and it made sense!
      ..shake...tremble...shake

      --
      Sig it.
    9. Re:how odd, not the situation here in UK by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nah,

      'sabs' just aren't worth the effort for the police. An officer usually has to fill out a MOUNTAIN of paperwork these days for EACH arrest; you're harrassing the police more than you are the hunters. By the time you're cut loose, the activity that you're trying to break up is usually over or moved on to another location.

      You could also look at it as protective custody, you are provoking armed individuals. Look on the bright side, there are parts of the world (think of parts of the following: former Soviet Bloc, Asia, Middle East, Latin America) where if you were harrassing the 'upper class' in their chosen recreational pursuits you would just disappear.

      On the other hand, if a few more hostile twits (as opposed to those who apply logic, reasoning, and discourse to try to resolve differences)like you were to disappear, the world might already be the better place that you claim to be trying for.

      P.S. few farmers use threshers anymore, get with the program, combines have been in the fields for a long time.

    10. Re:how odd, not the situation here in UK by Anonym0us+Cow+Herd · · Score: 1

      Yeah, dude. He should be moderating instead of posting.

      --
      The price of freedom is eternal litigation.
    11. Re:how odd, not the situation here in UK by johnkoer · · Score: 1

      Obligatory Billy Madison quote:

      What you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

    12. Re:how odd, not the situation here in UK by SlamMan · · Score: 1

      Fine. Tea.

      --
      Mod point free since 2001
    13. Re:how odd, not the situation here in UK by jasonisgodzilla · · Score: 1

      "Fuck all you hunters, shooters and fishers. I hope you lose your arms in a thresher." Damn the hunters for going out and culling their own food from the land rather than buying it at the store. It's much more humane to eat meat from an animal that has been made to stand in a 4*6 stall in its own shit its entire life up to the point of being nailgunned in the head. It's really inhumane to thin the herd of an overpopulated free range animal which would breed itself into starvation if left unchecked.

    14. Re:how odd, not the situation here in UK by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He is under surveillance. Not going anywhere.

      Stop blaming Canada

    15. Re:how odd, not the situation here in UK by DrSkwid · · Score: 2, Interesting

      eing an animal-rights ass or just fighting some dumbassed class war?

      both

      We are a place without wilderness.
      Access to every square inch is under control.
      Freedom is not just freedom of thought.
      Without freedom of movement there is no freedom.

      We have a saying, "The trouble with country folk is they lost touch with nature."

      --
      There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
    16. Re:how odd, not the situation here in UK by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Damn the hunters for going out and culling their own food from the land rather than buying it at the store."

      Of course, so many people eat foxes.

    17. Re:how odd, not the situation here in UK by LVWolfman · · Score: 1



      It's the same here in the states but most folks don't realize it. When you are stopped by the police for say speeding, the whole time of the stop you are under arrest as you are not allowed to leave.

      Being held in custody while waiting for paperwork from the DA's office is simply waiting to be "booked" (charges filed).

      Most Americans think of being arrested as the whole "go directly to jail", fingerprints, etc. but that is the booking stage. The arrest happens as soon as you are detained by the police.

    18. Re:how odd, not the situation here in UK by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      We're going waaayy off topic here, but hey, it's fun :-)

      "It's really inhumane to thin the herd of an overpopulated free range animal which would breed itself into starvation if left unchecked."

      You've not been to the UK have you?

      When the poster was refering to hunting it was because they (hunters) hunt foxes most of the time. A "sab" is a hunt saboteur. A hunt is usually a big pack of dogs, some people on horses and a bunch of people on foot. It's not a "survival" weekend.

      The fox will usually have been located beforehand and there has been stories in the press of foxes with cubs having had food left for them to encourage them to breed.

      In short, no one's going to eat the fox, it will get chased to exhaustion and then pulled apart by the dogs. (or it might escape of course)

      If you wanted to keep the natural population of foxes to a lower level, it would seem to be both more humane and less costly to simply shoot them.

      However, the people on the horses are usually extremely rich, and it's them the hunts are organised for.

      The only situation close to what you're thinking of is up north where the deer populations have to be culled, usually on Forestry commision land and usually by professional marksmen (or "shooters" depending on your viewpoint). There's a handbook on how the deer should be culled in order to follow the best currently believed practice.

      There's also an invasive grey squirrel problem, which are somtimes culled but not exactly "hunted". Usually a bloke with an airrifle employed by the local nature reserve in order to give the native red squirels a chance.

      Not sure why the parent poster was bashing fishermen. Maybe the outdoors scares him/her.

  69. Re:writing viruses shouldnt be illegal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    so, if all those infected people were sent to jail, how much more taxes would i have to pay?

    that's not pretty either.

  70. Re:If by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Thank god he's 18 and fully accountable.

    That's right, because you can't hold children accountable, can you?

  71. One word: by Motherfucking+Shit · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Mafiaboy.

    Given the age (he was only 15!), and given the media, he was still crucified. There was no sympathy angle, there was no "youngster gets hassled by overzealous feds" angle. He was, as could be expected, generally portrayed as an evil h4x0r who DoSed eTrade, eBay, Yahoo, etc.

    No, whomever launched MSBlaster.B is not going to become a media darling, and he damned sure isn't going to win the hearts and minds of Joe Sixpack, whose computer kept rebooting itself due to the various incarnations of MSBlaster.

    From a personal standpoint, I think it's sort of shitty that this kid is getting busted for what seems to amount to no more than a bit of hex editing. I'd rather see the FBI investing its resources into tracking down the author of the original MSBlaster (as opposed to a barely-modified variant which didn't propagate widely)... And I'd much rather see them go after whatever assclown is responsible for SoBig.F, of which I've now received more than 6,000 copies at 100KB apiece. That's not to say that they aren't investigating these things, and I hope they find the perps eventually; but I think it's a bad deal that they're going to bust a kid who made a knock-off instead of the guy who started it.

    I really don't buy the sympathy angle. The guy allegedly launched a worm variant, he probably bragged about it (another similarity to Mafiaboy), according to MSNBC, the FBI subpoenaed IRC server logs to track him down. Launch a worm and gloat about it to your 31337 buddies, and you get what's coming.

    --
    "BSD: Free as in speech. Linux: Free as in beer. Windows 10: Free as in herpes." --Man On Pink Corner in #52607549.
    1. Re:One word: by SlamMan · · Score: 1

      Its not the Hex editing that go him and trouble. Its the "Reply to All" button he pressed....

      --
      Mod point free since 2001
    2. Re:One word: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Given the current screwed up shit that happens in prisons today. Very very few people deserve to be sent there. This guy certainly doesnt. File sharers don't deserve it either. Until they make prisons safer for people they should find other alternatives. Caning?

    3. Re:One word: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Launch a worm and gloat about it to your 31337 buddies, and you get what's coming.

      He's got how many buddies??
      I wish I was cool like that.

    4. Re:One word: by delcielo · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "No, whomever launched MSBlaster.B is not going to become a media darling"

      And he shouldn't. At 18 he knows the score for breaking the law. He also knows the damage this virus could cause.

      People who say he's just a misunderstood child, or that he didn't really cause any harm are kind of kidding themselves. Millions were spent cleaning up this mess, and at 18 he may be childish; but he's not a child.

      By all means, keep going after the bigger fish; but don't give this punk a pass just because he's 18. He knew what he was doing, and he knew the consequences. Now let him face them like a responsible adult.

      --
      Hot Damn! It's the Soggy Bottom Boys!
    5. Re:One word: by mwood · · Score: 1

      Duuh, surely they are going to offer to go easy on him if he can give useful information that might lead them to the original perp. That's one reason you arrest small fish: to extract information on the bigger fish. After all, he got the source from *somewhere*.

    6. Re:One word: by geekoid · · Score: 1

      At 18 he knows the score for breaking the law.
      in my experience, most 18 year olds don't really no the score for breaking the law.

      Should he be punished? sure.

      But what law did he break?

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    7. Re:One word: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "From a personal standpoint, I think it's sort of shitty that this kid is getting busted for what seems to amount to no more than a bit of hex editing."

      Hmmm.. Yeah..

      I think it's wrong that Insider Traders get busted for what seems to amount to no more than a bit a chatting with frineds..

      I think it's wrong that embezzlers get busted for what seems to amount to no more than a bit a keyboarding..

      Duh..

      What kind of logic is that???

    8. Re:One word: by Kenja · · Score: 1
      "I think it's sort of shitty that this kid is getting busted for what seems to amount to no more than a bit of hex editing"

      Thats like saying a person who shot another person didn't fire the gun but just depressed a small metal widget.

      This guy released a virus that caused damage, he did not just perform some hex editing.

      --

      "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
    9. Re:One word: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The FBI should be out there catching violent criminals, drug smuglers, and terrorists before they strike, like they could have done with the 9/11 terrorists. But they provably could not devote enough resources to tracking them since they were busy locking up 15 year olds for writing viruses that exploit insecure systems.

    10. Re:One word: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You must realize how impossilbe and inane that is??

      Heck.. Why stop at viruses.. Let's include property crimes.. I mean, why bother wasting time and money on some junk stolen from a car, when there are rapists out there? Or even car theives... I mean, they don't rate compared to murderers...

      Burglaries/Home invasions?? As long as no one is hurt, it's not worth the time and resources, when there are pedophiles out there!!

      And what's society going to be like when they don't bother with those crimes?

      Now, I realize, that's regular police, not Federal. But it's the same dynamic...

      Don't bother looking for virus writers.. Hackers..

      Heck, even bank robbers.. If no one is hurt, it can't be as important as terrorists!!!

      It really is a dumb as it sounds...

      BTW.. You know, they do catch violent criminals, drug smuggler's and terrorists.. They catch alot of them... Not that they can't do a better job, but not going after a virus writer wouldn't have saved the towers..

      It's sad and desperate for you to have even tried to link those together... Pretty sick..

  72. Yeah I fell bad for him also by Bruha · · Score: 0

    Especially in the rare case he's someone who just takes apart viruses and sees how they work.

    Anyone remember the old viruses? Back in the late 80's and early 90's viruses were harmful but lately they're nothing but a pain in the arse 90% of the time being of the email variety. What's curious is it's rare to now see viruses that blow your video card, corrupt your hard drive (Though in some cases it's understandable they dont or they cant propagate)

    I for one dont want to see the return of damaging viruses mainly becuase these new email virii never seem to be detected by many AV products until they have a definition for it. When was the last time your AV detected the latest Sobig without a update first. Which always gives the virus at least a 12 hour window to spread in the better connected parts of the internet.

  73. Virus writing now insourced from Bulgaria ? by ehack · · Score: 1

    At least some high-profile software is now verifiably authored in the USA . I guess having the virus writers too far from Mc. Affee, Norton etc. didn't work ;)

    --
    This is not a signature.
  74. Don'cha just love... by lelnet · · Score: 1

    ...the way they use the future tense to make sure we know that the Post is publishing this story before the arrest actually happens...you know...just in case the guy who writes viruses happens to get on that crazy internet thing where he might see this announcement and decide it'd be a terrific time to check out the weather in Rio?

  75. Re:writing viruses shouldnt be illegal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well, i've seen pictures. No, it's not pretty, but if we don't find better ways of dealing with sabotage, physical harm (of which shooting someone dead is not the worst) will be applied sooner or later. There are less stable people out there than us.

  76. tv networks suck by Alien+Being · · Score: 1

    Every report i've seen on this is saying the kid was about to be arrested for sobig. One of them opened with a headline about blaster, then started showing screenshots about sobig and talking about spam.

    In other news, whooping cranes have been spotted flying out of tom brokaw's ass.

  77. Which varient? by st0rmshad0w · · Score: 1

    What if he wrote the one that PATCHED the system vulnerability? Just as much of a pain in the neck but the intent behinds it appears benevolent.

  78. Re:If by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    From Article:
    Lieutenant Colonel Barry Johnson, a US military spokesman, yesterday said all the teenagers being held were "captured as active combatants against US forces", and described them as "enemy combatants".
    Enemy Combatants, as in not US citizens, as in, not real people.
  79. Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Folks, I know that "prison rape" jokes sound funny. I know that everyone gets a laugh when someone mentions "federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison." Yes, Office Space was one of the best movies ever made. No, that doesn't make prison rape hilarious.

    Imagine if it were you in prison.

    I have been incarcerated, and while I wasn't physically accosted (though I don't doubt that it may have happened if I'd been prescribed a longer stay), the sexual humiliation was probably the worst part of the experience. Prisoners have to shower. Together. And the jailors have seemingly no end of dick-jokes.

    You have to disrobe before you get into the shower, obviously. You leave your prison garb in a "cubby" type lockeresque rack, and you hope that a) you remember which cubby you put your garb in and b) some joker doesn't forget such and take yours by accident.

    After taking your clothes off, you have to pass by several guards before you get into the showers proper. And the guards utter sexually oriented insults to every inmate who walks past. "Hey smallcock." "How come you're so eager to get in the shower with a bunch of naked men?" "I bet all these guys want to have a big orgy!" "Today was grits and eggs for breakfast, but it must be sausage for dinner!" "Look at this, a whole shower full of little dicks!" etc. No, I'm not joking, the jailors really say this shit.

    This was humiliating enough. I can't imagine the torture of actual prison rape. It happens, people, and it's very real. The things that go on in jail, most people (who, of course, have never been to jail) would not believe unless they witnessed it themselves. I hope that you don't have to, but at the same time, please have a modicum of respect for those of us who have been there, and those who are still there for whatever reason. I'm not asking you to have sympathy for people who have committed crimes; you do the crime, you do the time. But being a criminal does not mean you deserve sexual assault.

    No aspect of prison is funny.

    None.

    1. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I read something about prison rape that said the best way to avoid getting gang raped (which implied violence and a lot of forced entry) was to submit to a jock (a tougher, more experienced prisoner) and become his bitch.

      You still got to enjoy a man's penis and cum in your mouth and the thrill of his thrusts deep in your anus, but only his. He was said to protect you from other prisoners preying on you. It was essentially a husband-wife relationship.

      The reality is probably that a long stretch in the joint makes any blowjob or orifice pretty enjoyable. If you were doing a life strecth or something I can see where butt-banging would be a reasonable diversion.

    2. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by NeMon'ess · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Tim Allen was able to make fun of prison, and he was there. He did not make light of prison rape, but prison can be funny. Anything can be funny to some people. I was infuriated when some asshat posted about driving by a bicyclist and yelling into his ear to make him crash. The comment just wasn't funny because it wasn't phrased into a joke. Despite personally being startled on purpose by passengers driving by me on my bike, I could yet laugh at that were it a joke. Instead it was as funny as "drive by and knock down mail boxes with a bat, its fun!"

    3. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      some people have no sense of humour!

    4. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by oPless · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      And this is why they're there.

      Prison should not be a place of joy for bleeding heart liberals.

      Everyone in prison is there to be PUNISHED for their CRIME to SOCIETY, usually by DUE PROCESS, and convicted by their PEERS.

      Of course if you're wrongly convicted thats a different matter.

      IF YOU DON'T LIKE BEING IN PRISON YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE COMMITTED A CRIME (and get caught).

      Really they should take criminals out of the genepool altogether, then at least you'd get smart criminals that don't get caught :-)

    5. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Johnny+Mnemonic · · Score: 4, Insightful


      But being a criminal does not mean you deserve sexual assault.

      I agree. I believe that this part of prison constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, and I believe that were I to be a prisoner and subjected to rape with a complicit guarding authority, I would sue on those grounds. Maybe that's unrealistic.

      However, please have a modicum of respect for those of us who have been there does not help your argument. It is precisely this lack of respect that allows rapes such as you describe, and I think that arguing for respect for convicted criminals will not sway the minds of your audience. Better, I think, to pursue lines of prison rape as being extra-ordinary punishment, not bounded by our system of law.

      --

      --
      $tar -xvf .sig.tar
    6. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by DataCannibal · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Actually, the amount of jokes about prison rape, SCO "having to bite the pillow", somebody or other getting "bitchslappped", somebody or other being somebody's "ho'", etc etc and fucking cetera, on Slashdot makes me realise that the cliche about the majority of geeks having sexual problems and hangups of some nature are true. You know, typical virgin teenage boys.

      --
      No but, yeah but, no but...
    7. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Everyone in prison is there to be PUNISHED for their CRIME to SOCIETY,
      > usually by DUE PROCESS, and convicted by their PEERS.


      You too can go to jail for something as innocent as sharing your MP3 files.

      Does that sound like a CRIME to SOCIETY you should be PUNISHED for?

      I agree that child molesters, murders, rapists, and such deserves some punishment, but let's see the crime in context before we judge anyone, okay?

    8. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...please have a modicum of respect for those of us who have been there...

      Unbelievable. Like the prisoners showed us respect by assaulting us, stealing our cars, pushing drugs on our kids, or whatever they did to end up there.

      Sounds to me like incarceration impressed upon you the fact that you didn't want to go back. Ever.

      Good.

    9. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by LarsWestergren · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Good points.

      A relevant link: Stop Prison Rape
      http://www.spr.org/

      As for the hostile jerks who said you had what was coming to you and deserve no sympathy, I really hope they get to spend a night in jail too. Let's see if they are so quick to condemn people after that.

      --

      Being bitter is drinking poison and hoping someone else will die

    10. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by crawling_chaos · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Do you really feel that the brutalization of minor criminals will do anything more than turn them into brutes? Remember, I'm not talking about lifers, these folks will be released back into society. I don't think that prison should be a stay in a hotel, but allowing the inmates to live in conditions out of The Lord of the Flies doesn't seem to fulfill the purpose of prison in the first place.

      It's thinking like this that makes outfits like the Taliban possible. Crime went down in Afghanistan after they assumed control, after all. Do you really want to live in that kind of state?

      --
      You can only drink 30 or 40 glasses of beer a day, no matter how rich you are.
      -- Colonel Adolphus Busch
    11. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by sharkey · · Score: 1

      Sounds like high school gym class. The high school I went to, anyway.

      --

      --
      "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
    12. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >> No, that doesn't make prison rape hilarious.

      No, but I'm sure victims around the world found the effects of the virus hilarious.

    13. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Viol8 · · Score: 1

      I think you'll find you liberal ponce , that the original poster was already codemned by a JURY of his PEERS. If he didn't like going to prison then he
      SHOULDN'T HAVE COMMITTED A CRIME. Just how hard is it for you liberal a*seholes to understand this simple concept? Prison is SUPPOSED to be unpleasent.
      If it wasn't then what would be the fucking point of it???! Imbecile.

    14. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Eric+Ass+Raymond · · Score: 1
      If it wasn't then what would be the fucking point of it???!

      Prisons primary function is to to stop the criminals harming the society any further. Thinking about it in terms of revenge is just juvenile - just like any revenge is.

    15. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by mlk · · Score: 1

      And the poster is fine about "do the crime, do the time", but is rape a valid form of punishment?
      or is taking away your rights & freedoms enough, under british law, its (rape) is not.

      --
      Wow, I should not post when knackered.
    16. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by JLyle · · Score: 1
      You too can go to jail for something as innocent as sharing your MP3 files. Does that sound like a CRIME to SOCIETY you should be PUNISHED for?
      A crime is "an act committed or omitted in violation of a law forbidding or commanding it and for which punishment is imposed upon conviction". The question of whether sharing MP3 files "sounds like a crime" is moot. It is a crime. If you disagree with the law(s), then you are free to use any number of legal means to try to get those laws changed.
    17. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by mlk · · Score: 1

      ... a valid form of punishment.

      I need to proof read stuff.

      --
      Wow, I should not post when knackered.
    18. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Smaug+the+Golden · · Score: 1
      Turn them into brutes is exactly right. Men get raped in jail by men bigger than them, and they get out of jail and rape women to "regain" what was lost. No it does not make sense, but that is what often happens. While I do not believe they are innocent in any way, they also did not in any way deserve to be raped in prison in the first place. If you can't feel bad for the man who made a mistake (something the average slashdotter would never do), you can at least feel bad for the women outside prison who are raped by these warped minds our prison system keeps churning out like clockwork, and maybe, just maybe, quit joking about it and letting others know how real and horrible of a problem this is. It is easy to talk badly about Arabs and how women are treated, but it is harder to see yourself clearly than others. Lets face it, the average American thinks torture in prison is funny.

      Stop Prison Rape - This link has been posted before but it won't hurt to post it again.

    19. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by ashkar · · Score: 1

      I do the original poster was quite funny, but I can understand your concern. Check this report from Human Rights Watch. It's pretty scary.

    20. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      being a criminal does not mean you deserve sexual assault.

      Hmm so what you are saying is that prison is a bad place that no one should want to go to? Imagine that!

      I have no sympathy whatsoever for what happens in prisons. You took the chance that you could get away with a crime and you got caught. So now here comes Big Al with his "iron sausage". Think over just what you did to get into prison when Al is having his way with you. Don't give me any of that "but I'm innocent" crap either. Pretty much everyone who goes to prison did the crime, that Hollywood crap of "no really, it was the guy with the prosthetic arm" just does not happen.
    21. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by StikyPad · · Score: 1

      Dear God, showering together with a bunch of men?? The inhumanity.. The last time I heard of something like that was, um.. high school. Hell the gym I go to doesn't even have individual showers. A few dick jokes hardly a traumatic experience make. I'm fairly certain that there are no civil rights guaranteeing you freedom from being the butt of someone's joke. Sure, guards could be more polite but what do you expect, it's jail.

    22. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Overly+Critical+Guy · · Score: 1

      Am I supposed to feel sorry for you because you got yourself into prison in the first place? Or were you "innocent?"

      Bad things happen in prison, but you know what? Bad people are IN prison, and they did bad things to get there.

      --
      "Sufferin' succotash."
    23. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      please have a modicum of respect for those of us who have been there
      (snip)
      I'm not asking you to have sympathy for people who have committed crimes

      No, but you *are* asking us to respect them?!. Sorry, I have little respect for drunk drivers, murderers, wife-beaters, child-rapists, republicans, etc.

      But being a criminal does not mean you deserve sexual assault.

      It does if you are a rapist.

      No aspect of prison is funny.

      It's not supposed to be, it's PRISON! If you don't want to go there, don't commit crimes. And yes, I realize there are some people there who probably shouldn't be, but I've met enough prison guards and seen enough Discovery Channel to realize that most of the people in prison are bad to one degree or another.

    24. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by benzapp · · Score: 1

      The problem is much deeper than "respect" and using the justice system is pretty much ineffective. We are talking about 5 million prisoners, 2 million prison guards, 15 million law enforcements people....

      There is an entire culture of prison life which encompasses a number of people bigger than whole European nations, bigger than most states in the US. I don't know what the solution is, and there probably isn't a way to rehabilitate all of these people. WHat I do know, is prisoners and those who profit from them are the lowest of the low, and are human only in their appearances and base desires. Without some sort of guiding ethic to which our legal system adheres, it isn't surprising all of these people become wretched.

      It is going to take a massive revolution in our social structure before this changes. With so much of the economy dependent upon prisons however, I don't think it will happen any time soon. All of the people involved with the criminal justice system are incapable of living in a peaceful, productive society.

      --
      I don't read or respond to AC posts
    25. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous+Custard · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      When you commit a crime, and get caught, you are sentenced to serve time, and be locked away. Nowhere in the law books does it say that you are sentenced to be locked away with a rapist.

      In fact, there are actually laws against this! You may not assault a person in custody, you may not rape anyone ever, and you may not inflict cruel and unusual punishment. Prison is supposed to be unpleasant, thats correct. But it is not supposed to be abusive.

      I really hope you get sent to prison for a few days sometime in your life, to see how it feels.

      Conservatives elect a "compassionate conservative" and then complain when liberals are compassionate? wtf? Conservatives seem to be compassionate only towards themselves...

    26. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Viol8 · · Score: 1

      Revenge is not juvenile. Its a fundemental part of human nature and one which I happen to agree with. If you suffer because of what someone does
      to do you they should suffer equally in return. If they don't then what exactly is the deterrant?

    27. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Viol8 · · Score: 1

      "I really hope you get sent to prison for a few days sometime in your life, to see how it feels"

      What a stupid statement. You might as well say you hope that I turn into a paedophile for a few days so I can understand how they really feel and
      can "relate" to them. Get a life loser.

    28. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, it might hurt a little, but if you go slow...

    29. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Zirnike · · Score: 3, Insightful
      "No aspect of prison is funny."

      I'm with George Carlin on this one (not a direct quote, haven't listened to the album in a while): 'People keep saying that this isn't funny, or that isn't funny, or that you shouldn't joke about things. Like rape. You shouldn't joke about rape - it isn't funny. Well, anything can be funny. Rape can be funny. For example: Picture Porky Pig raping Elmer Fud. Now that's funny! Why do you think they call him Porky?'

      People's sense of humor is completely unrelated to what they think SHOULD be funny. I don't find prison rape to be amusing. I know that we have a 60% misconviction rate for capital offenses, nevermind more minor ones. That isn't the reason I don't think it's funny, though. People DO NOT have control over what they think is funny. Lecturing them isn't going to help.

      I find Canadian jokes to be amusing. I have a lot of Canadian friends. The only person I work with with a decent sense of humor is Canadian (and I get a lot of the jokes from him, too). And guess what? My father is over 1/2 Canadian.

      All this PC crap has gotta stop. You don't think it's funny, fine. Other people do. That isn't even their choice! Don't get mad at them for it.

      --
      I'm not shy, I'm stalking my prey
    30. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by DataCannibal · · Score: 1

      Maybe nobody told you, but the punishment for the crime is...being locked up. Yes it may have escaped your notice, peabrain, but in most democracies governments do not pass laws stating that anyone found gulity of breaking certain laws should be locked up AND tortured. Your DUE PROCESS does not just cover the trial it also covers the punishment as well. The punishment does not consist of being raped, tortured or otherwise abused while you are in prison.

      Much better people than you have given their lives over the last few months so that some other people don't have to suffer like that.

      I'd also like to thankyou for confirming my generalisation above that most Slashdot readers are dickheads. You are a particularly fine example and you're probably getting a hard-on now jts thinking about prison rape :-x

      --
      No but, yeah but, no but...
    31. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That is a very sad tale, and it brought tears to my eyes. I mean imagine the humanity - you went to prison and didn't get to partake in the entirety of the prison experience! We'll send a large sweaty man over very soon to ream out your poop-chute for you so that you to can feel like the societal misfit you really are.

    32. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Eric+Ass+Raymond · · Score: 1
      Its a fundemental part of human nature

      That's no excuse. Killing and raping fellow human beings is also in the human nature (check the secular history, Bible or any major religion for a reference).

      If you suffer because of what someone does to do you they should suffer equally in return. No. I can sort of understand crimes of passion of individuals (like avenging a crime in blind rage), but having your revenge carried out for you by the nameless and faceless ranks of the society in a cold and calculated fashion is just horrific. That's revenge via proxy. Juvenile, cruel and a coward's way.

      If they don't then what exactly is the deterrant?

      Losing one's freedom? Ever been locked up for a day, a week or a month. Imagine spending years like that.

      Anyway, you keep using the word "deterrant" as it if it were an solution to crime. But can you tell me how well exactly has the ultimate deterrant, the death penalty, worked? Did torture and slavery work in the past? Innocent people have been put to death, death penalties cost more than a life sentence in jail and it still does not stop people from raping and murdering each other.

      Deterrant implies that the criminal stops to think the consequences of getting caught. But if he thinks he's going to get caught in the first place, why would he even commit the crime! No. Deterrant as a crime fighting idea does not work because the criminals believe that they'll never be caught.

      Furthermore, draconian punishments only promote ruthlessness in criminals. Why leave any witnesses when they can put you in "federal pound-ass prison"?

    33. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He was sentence to prison, not rape you ignorant fucktard.

    34. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by fishbowl · · Score: 1

      >No aspect of prison is funny.

      Prison wouldn't be a deterrent if it was pleasant, safe, or healthy in any way.

      What we need to work on is to STOP sending NONVIOLENT people there.

      Reserve prison for only the violent criminals, and then go ahead and let the conditions deteriorate.

      --
      -fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
    35. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by TomV · · Score: 1

      Everyone in prison is there to be PUNISHED for their CRIME to SOCIETY, usually by DUE PROCESS, and convicted by their PEERS.

      I agree. Especially the bit about Due Process.

      The law as it stands says that Due Process includes depriving the convicted offender of his or her liberty. That is the socially-agreed punishment. It is therefore reasonable to curtail the individual's human rights in respect of their liberty in accordance with the sentence passed.

      I have never heard of an American court passing a sentence of Rape, for any offence, ever. This would suggest that the use of Rape as punishment does NOT constitute Due Process.

      If you feel strongly that criminals should, for certain or for all offences, be liable to a sentence of, say, 5 years Rape without parole, fine. Contact your representatives in the legislature, start a pressure group, make your case to the public via the media of your choice, and good luck to you in getting the Rape As Penal Experience Act (they've all got to be acronyms these days, right?) passed by Congress.

      Once you've done that it's fair enough that those whom the court sentences to 5 years Rape should, in accordance with the law, be Raped every day for five years.

      I don't have to be a bleeding-heart liberal to find the practice of Rape in prisons offensive. I can reach that position just as easily as an authoritarian wondering what the hell kind of lax undisciplined chaotic regime holds in the jails. And as an authoritarian, i'd like to see it stamped out utterly and those responsible (prisoners doing the deed, officers neglecting their duty to prevent it) punished harshly. In accordance with Due Process of course. If prison is an anarchy-shop, what the hell is the point?

      I don't even have to be a bleeding-heart liberal to feel that if my tax money is being used to support the prisoners, I'd like to see that money used in a way that reduces the chances that I'll have to support them in prison again (and again, and again), and which increases their chances of returning to society, contributing to society, and getting into a position to pay some taxes of their own to cover some of my expenses.

      TomV

    36. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Viol8 · · Score: 1

      "That's revenge via proxy. Juvenile, cruel and a coward's way. "

      So if I just went out and beat the crap out of them or shot them myself that would be ok? Ok , whatever...

      "But can you tell me how well exactly has the ultimate deterrant, the death penalty, worked? "

      Well unless the criminals executed can come back from the grave and commit more crimes , then yeah , I'd say its worked in their case.

      "Deterrant implies that the criminal stops to think the consequences of getting caught. But if he thinks he's going to get caught in the first place,"

      Don't be naive. Of course criminals think about getting caught. Why do you think they bother with ski masks, getaway cars etc etc??! Its a gamble they're prepared to take and IMO
      the worse the odds of losing that gamble the fewer of them will do it.

      "Deterrant implies that the criminal stops to think the consequences of getting caught. But if he thinks he's going to get caught in the first place,"

      Yeah , that'd be why in arab countries where you can lose a hand just for stealing they have such a rampant crimewave , unlike the peaceful west and its soppy liberal policies.
      Oh sorry , am I being sarcastic? Well thats all you deserve.

    37. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >>Prison wouldn't be a deterrent if it was pleasant, safe, or healthy in any way

      it isn't. the number of people being put in prison goes up every year. some deterrent

    38. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So, you're arguing for a law that says that all prisoners in US prisons should be raped as part of their punishment?

    39. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Eric+Ass+Raymond · · Score: 1
      So if I just went out and beat the crap out of them or shot them myself that would be ok? Ok , whatever...

      Sure but prepare to be treated like a criminal and locked up so that you don't pose a risk to the society.

      Don't be naive. Of course criminals think about getting caught. Why do you think they bother with ski masks, getaway cars etc etc??!

      That's exactly the reason why they think they won't be caught: they think they're prepared.

      Yeah , that'd be why in arab countries where you can lose a hand just for stealing they have such a rampant crimewave , unlike the peaceful west and its soppy liberal policies.

      And you have any reliable statistics to back up this claim?

    40. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The moral to this story is: don't go to prison. DO you know how to do this? DOn't commit a crime. Don't expect any compassion for being a scumbag.

    41. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      But being a criminal does not mean you deserve sexual assault.

      Being a criminal means you give up ALL of the rights that the rest of society (your victims) enjoy.

    42. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, but I hope you get raped by a paedophile in prison so you can understand how they really feel.

    43. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Flavius+Stilicho · · Score: 1

      No aspect of prison is funny.

      Then don't end up there. It's easy enough to do.

      Personally, I say do away with consentual crime laws. Get rid of them and you can get rid of prisons -- punishment of real crimes could then be handled by a bullet.

    44. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And what happens when you commit a "crime" even though you didn't know it was a crime? Sure, ignorance of the law is no excuse, supposedly. But how do you try to get a law changed you don't even know about? I guess it must be our obligation as citizens to know every law. Better pick up those law books quick Lyle...

    45. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is being wrongfully accused a crime? Doesn't seem to be. If someone is wrongfully accused they're lucky to get a letter with an "Oops, we fucked up." in it.

    46. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In your eyes it seems that all prisoners are created equal. Murderers = traffic offenders, and rapists = dope smokers. Now that's unbelievable. Typical black & white thinking...

    47. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're right; people don't have control over what makes them laugh. However, in the case of prison rape, the real problem is that far too many people think it's funny AND correct/not a concern. A sexist joke coming from a misogynistic wife beater should not be lauded, even if it has to be laughed at, and such situations always carry an infuriating sting with them for me, when I know the joke teller is really a dead serious asshole. If I knew that the people joking about prison rape also thought it to be the vile, barbaric thing that it is, then their commentary wouldn't phase me. As it is, however, our society's sick view of the subject means that there is too much truth in the jokes. It's much more than a PC issue.

    48. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey, maybe it's a stupid statement, but if that's what it takes for you to understand then I say it's fine with me.

    49. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      No, but I'm sure victims around the world found the effects of the virus hilarious.

      I know I did. Probably because it didn't affect me at all and the people who it did affect could have prepared for it. So, yes, when I saw an entire company go down from the virus, I thought it was pretty hilarious.

    50. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, it's jail. And people know jail = break you or kill you. Now let's tell the judges so they know where they are really sending people.

    51. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, nice of you to think in black and white. As we all know, all crimes are bad, regardless of how they ended up in the lawbooks. All laws are just, too, and right. Amazing how something so political as lawmaking ended up without corruption! Truly a beacon of liberty in these dark times. Someone should alert the mafia so they can get in on the lawmaking...

    52. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Interesting... So if I thought child rape and torture was funny, you'd stand by my beliefs? Really?

    53. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No American judge has ever handed down a sentence of rape for any crime. Ever. So fuck off.

    54. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So why when you are released from prison you still have to give up those rights? You can't vote, no one will hire you... Guess it's time to start stealing to make ends meet! Perhaps you weren't a true criminal before jail, but hell, you certainly are afterwards!

    55. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When you send a person to prison, you are sentencing them to rape. So fuck off, yourself.

    56. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You actually think prison and rape aren't the same thing? You're the one that's the ignorant fucktard. Go to prison = get raped. Pretty easy to understand.

    57. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Zirnike · · Score: 1

      As long as you weren't a child rapist or a torturer. You have a right to your sense of humor, even if I don't find it humorous. I just won't listen to you, that's all.

      --
      I'm not shy, I'm stalking my prey
    58. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, you fucking moron; what he's saying is that being sentenced to prison does not mean and should not mean being sentenced to sexual assault. Stealing hubcaps is wrong, but it doesn't mean you should be sexually assaulted as punishment. Only a fucking subhuman fucktard wouldn't be able to fucking understand this.

    59. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by JLyle · · Score: 1
      And what happens when you commit a "crime" even though you didn't know it was a crime?
      Why do you put the word "crime" in quotes? Is sharing MP3 files (as cited in the earlier post) a crime, or not?
      Sure, ignorance of the law is no excuse, supposedly.
      That is also my understanding.
      But how do you try to get a law changed you don't even know about? I guess it must be our obligation as citizens to know every law.
      OK, I do see your point. But what's the alternative? Make ignorance of the law an acceptable defense for all crimes? Or if not for all crimes, what's the criteria?
      Better pick up those law books quick Lyle...
      Thanks for setting me straight. So, if I can sum up the legal advice so far:
      1. It is OK to commit crimes as long as they don't "sound like crimes"; and,
      2. It is OK break laws that you are unaware of.
    60. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by JLyle · · Score: 1
      Is being wrongfully accused a crime? Doesn't seem to be. If someone is wrongfully accused they're lucky to get a letter with an "Oops, we fucked up." in it.
      You are absolutely correct that innocent people are often accused of having committed crimes which they did not in fact commit. It is also true that, in some cases, those people are wrongly convicted of those crimes.

      But I don't see how those realities are relevant to my previous post. The ancestor post asked whether "sharing your MP3 files sounds like a crime" (my paraphrase). Perhaps I misunderstood that post's intent, but it sounded to me as though that poster was suggesting that as long as you personally disagree with a law, it's OK to break it and not expect to be punished.

      I sincerely hope that this kid who is accused of having written the Blaster worm will receive a fair trial. And if has been wrongfully accused of that crime, I hope that justice is done and he is found innocent. But on the flip side, if he did commit the crime, regardless of whether it "sounded like a crime" to him, he should be found guilty.
    61. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by DarthGonzo · · Score: 1

      Showering together is getting you bent out of shape? This used to be a fact of life in gym class and the military. The health club I worked out at in Houston during grad school has showers in the men's locker room that are totally open (i.e. wall with faucets). Everyone else is hung differntly, and if that's how you're comparing yourself to everyone else, you've already lost, even if horses are impressed with your manhood.

      What's the big deal about dick jokes? Who the hell hasn't told one at some point in their life?

      You were convicted of a crime (my guess is weed possession by your whining). Thus, you were stripped of some of your freedom according to the laws of the land. Don't like it? Get the fuck out and find somewhere that suits you. Nobody will stop you. Showering in private is clearly one of those freedoms the prison system chose not to provide you with, probably due to expedience of getting a healthy shine on everyone's butt in the least amount of time with the least guard resources.

      A prison guard is neither the most educated nor highly-paid person. They spend all day with people who at the least resent them, or at worst are actively plotting to do them in. I sure as hell wouldn't hold back from giving somebody shit, whether they felt they deserved it or not, because you never know who is going to try and stick a shank in you.

      Sure, prison rape is wrong and dehumanizing, but convicts aren't worth the resources to prevent it from ever happening. All you do is cost society money, and if you wind up taking it in the ass because you couldn't control yourself in the outside world, that is unfortunate. It is not worth the funds to make sure it never happens again.

    62. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by sootman · · Score: 1

      I respect your opinion and your experiences but there is nothing--nothing--that cannot be joked about. Everyone has something near and dear to them that they don't like to hear jokes about, but it's different for every person, and no one has the right to say "This one subject can *never* be joked about." I'm sure you've told jokes that would offend me--things that might make me say "Dammit, *that* crossed the line." But I wouldn't say that because I know that everyone has a different line. Think about it--where does prison sex fall on a scale that includes starvation, genocide, the Holocaust, Shuttle disasters, 9/11, the Gulf wars, Christ's crucifixion, the Kennedy assassination, and everything else bad in the world? Is it OK to joke about these things but not the fact that a bunch of convicted criminals sodomize a bunch of other criminals? Or would you rather live in a world where jokes aren't allowed because someone, somewhere might get their feelings hurt?

      No, I'm not saying the guy deserves to get raped for what he did; on the other hand*, he's an adult and he intentionally did something that was malicious and illegal. And (as it happes, thanks to prison sex jokes) he should have known *exactly* what he was in for if he got caught. He figured he wouldn't get caught and decided to piss off the world. I say, fuck him. (Figuratively, that is. Once again, I'm not in favor of *anyone* getting raped--male, female; straight, gay; vaginally, anally, or otherwise.) Let the son of a bitch rot.

      * all of the following assumes he actually is guilty and a guilty verdict gets returned

      --
      Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
    63. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Phil+John · · Score: 1

      The only problem is no judicial system is 100% infallible. Just look at those people who are posthumously pardoned after being executed, ok, it's a small percentage of the total, but it's still a very real and frightening problem.

      That's just the death sentence, the number of people who get convicted in the states on the flimsiest of evidence by a judicial system almost as corrupt as the political one is ludicrous. How would you feel if you were sent, wrongly, to a federal prison? Don't be naive enough to believe that only guilty people go to jail.

      --
      I am NaN
    64. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If I spend enough time in prison to have to take a shower with a bunch of rapists and murders and manage to get fucked in said shower...I will most likely deserve every stroke I get.

      Because it probably means I've done something pretty heinous.

    65. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hahaha! Fucking brilliantly hillarious!

      That was really really good.

    66. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by oPless · · Score: 1

      Men get raped in jail by men bigger than them, and they get out of jail and rape women to "regain" what was lost.

      Thats just pure fiction, Rape is all about power. In Prison it's a way to assert you're more powerful than the rapee.

      Lets face it, the average American thinks torture in prison is funny

      I'm not American, so I'm not bound by your hilarious legal system, much less the morality you (as a country) are trying to force upon the rest of the world, But I digress.


      Yes, I think if more criminals were given a real incentive NOT to go to prision in the first place then the world would be a better place - Is this so wrong ?

    67. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by oPless · · Score: 1

      Sure, criminals etc shouldn't associate with other criminals at all. They should be in solitary. - That'll learn 'em :-)

    68. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by oPless · · Score: 1

      I'd also like to thankyou for confirming my generalisation above that most Slashdot readers are dickheads

      Thankyou for confirming what I've known for a long long time :-)

      But just to reply to your point;

      Once you lose your liberty, you join ANOTHER society, which in this day and age is well documented on the TV, and has been like this for more years you've lived. Let's face it you're either just an idealistic little twerp with little life experiance that needs to get out more into the real world, else you're a bleeding heart liberal that thinks smacking a child by it's own parents when it has been naughty is wrong.

      Too many of the types listed above have gotten into positions of responsability and completely fscked society up already.

    69. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by oPless · · Score: 1

      Congratulations on being the only poster with a medicoracy of intelligence.

      Like I mentioned in another reply, Prision is another society, the criminal has essentially volenteered to go into that society. Clearly the offender expects a certain treatment, or why else would we have repeat offenders? There are many criminals that actually prefer prison to the outside world.

    70. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by oPless · · Score: 1

      Yay! Someone who understands! Thank you /. !

    71. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by fishbowl · · Score: 1

      The number of people NOT in prison also goes up every year. Is it disproportional to population growth?

      --
      -fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
    72. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by TomV · · Score: 1

      :-) I hope that "medicoracy" was aiming at 'modicum', cos 'mediocrity' is a little bit lower than where I'm aiming :-)

      TomV

    73. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by oPless · · Score: 1

      bwhahahahaha :-)

    74. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Anonymous+Custard · · Score: 1

      Of course I wouldn't really wish either of those things on somebody.

      And I didn't say "I hope you turn into a prison rapist", so I don't understand your argument about you becoming a pedophile.

    75. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by LarsWestergren · · Score: 1

      > the original poster was already codemned by a JURY of his PEERS

      Jurys can be, and have been, mistaken.

      >he SHOULDN'T HAVE COMMITTED A CRIME.

      As others have pointed out, he was judged and recieved a punishment. But rape was not a part of the punishment, nor should it be in any humane society. Not even you could claim it should be I hope?

      >Prison is SUPPOSED to be unpleasent.

      If you ask those who have been raped, I believe they would qualify it as more than just "unpleasant".

      >If [prison] wasn't then what would be the fucking point of it???

      There are many theories as to the point of prisons. Some claim it is a deterrent, but I believe it is rarely working as such and therefore we should look for other solutions. Others say it is to keep offenders away from society so they can do no harm in the meantime, and some say it is done simply so society can make a point that they think the behaviour is wrong, no matter what happens to the prisoners.

      And then there are those who simply do it from a childish wish for revenge and power over others... probably caused by feelings of fear and insecurity. You seem to be one of them. Let go of your fear and dare to love, you will feel much better for it, I promise.

      --

      Being bitter is drinking poison and hoping someone else will die

    76. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by Smaug+the+Golden · · Score: 1
      Men get raped in jail by men bigger than them, and they get out of jail and rape women to "regain" what was lost.

      Thats just pure fiction, Rape is all about power. In Prison it's a way to assert you're more powerful than the rapee.

      Ok, how about "Men get raped in jail by men who are more powerful than them, and they get out of jail and rape women to feel like they have power again."

      Yes, I think if more criminals were given a real incentive NOT to go to prision in the first place then the world would be a better place - Is this so wrong ?

      Prison is not for punishment, it is for rehabilitation. It is meant to give them time away from society to realise what they did was wrong so that when they go back they will be better people. In the current system, they only learn how to be better criminals. Yes, I think you are wrong.

    77. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by oPless · · Score: 1
      No, prison is for punishment, it is NOT for rehabilitation regardless of what you hippy bleeding hearted liberal open source geeks think.

      It is meant to REMOVE them away from society to PROTECT the general populace from them.

      From here

      Summary:-
      prison - prison house, prison house Detailed description:-

      • 2 Dictionary Entries found

      1) n :a correctional institution where persons are confined while on trial or for punishment
      2) n :a prisonlike situation; a place of seeming confinement



      Or lets see here

      prison ( P ) Pronunciation Key (przn) n.

      A place for the confinement of persons in lawful detention, especially persons convicted of crimes.
      A place or condition of confinement or forcible restraint.
      A state of imprisonment or captivity.


      ... or even wordnet (use google I cba pasting any more links)

      From WordNet (r) 1.7 :

      prison

      n 1: a correctional institution where persons are confined while on trial or for punishment [syn: prison house]


      Oh and BTW, Being Raped does not immediatly make that that person become a rapist themselves. So in summary you're an ignorant person, that needs to get out more, and meet real people, not the tolkien effort you're attempting reading slashdot.
    78. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by DataCannibal · · Score: 1

      Bzzt! Wrong on all three counts I'm a middle aged, right wing, father of children who smacks then when they break a rule for which the punishment is smacking.

      You style of argument and inability or unwillingness to spell fuck correctly tells me more about you that you can hope to guess about me.

      --
      No but, yeah but, no but...
    79. Re:Thank you - If I had mod points, you == +1 by oPless · · Score: 1

      Yes, it tells you you're/I'm a horrible troll, and you've/I've bitten/been feeding you.

      Delete as appropriate.

      BTW How do you determine middle aged? Do you know when you are going to die?

  80. Why the delay.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm betting the news release of his impending arrest is to see how he reacts in order to gather more evidence. He's under surveillance and I'm betting his hard drives have been copied, maybe he'll hop in a white bronco and make a run for the border...

  81. Takes two to tango by steveheath · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I'm not defending the virus writer here, but doesn't it take at least two to cause problems on the scale Blaster and others have? There's the buggy OS or some rubbishy server software or bad IT mgt to blame too. Can anyone say 'scapegoat'? I personally don't think locking up (or whatever) some 18yr old kid will make the net a safer place to be, that comes with good software and mgt.

    If I were to defend the virus writer: virii are often very clever and neat pieces of code. They usually show that someone has been wise enough to spot an exploit and demonstrate it. In some cases they only get out by mistake. Surely it's better to know about holes in software than hide from them? Virii practically do software vendors the service of testing their code - perhaps they should even be paid for it?!?!

    I like that idea: virii could be seen as an overt way to force closed source software into improving? A kinda predatory unit test :)

    1. Re:Takes two to tango by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "They usually show that someone has been wise enough to spot an exploit and demonstrate it. In some cases they only get out by mistake."

      Right.

      You can't demonstrate an exploit without having the added side-effect of reproducing itself with astonishing speed?

  82. He is already under surveillance by abhikhurana · · Score: 2, Informative

    According to Seattle Times, The 18-year-old suspect already has been questioned and put under surveillance, and is expected to be in custody by 1:30 p.m. (PST) and will also be charged as an adult

    1. Re:He is already under surveillance by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Uh, he is 18. What else could he possibly be charged as?

    2. Re:He is already under surveillance by MrLizardo · · Score: 1

      A dog maybe?

      -AX

      --
      ^I'm with stupid.^
    3. Re:He is already under surveillance by darien · · Score: 1

      A terrorist? It's a lot quicker and cheaper that way.

      Actually, in the current climate I wouldn't be surprised if the prosecution does invoke "terrorism" at some point. God help us all.

    4. Re:He is already under surveillance by Gunzour · · Score: 1

      and will also be charged as an adult

      Why is the media saying this? Of course an adult is going to be charged as an adult!

      It's strange to me that so much emphasis is being placed on the suspect's age. If he was, say, 34, would all of the press reports be saying "The 34-year-old suspect will be in custody today and will be charged as an adult."?

    5. Re:He is already under surveillance by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because it's unclear at what age one becomes an adult in the eyes of the law. At age 12 you can pay taxes, but not work. At age 18, you can be drafted, but not buy beer. At age 16 you can be tried as an adult *in some circumstances*. At age 29, you may not be elected president. I think it's a stupid system.

    6. Re:He is already under surveillance by jazman_777 · · Score: 1
      It's strange to me that so much emphasis is being placed on the suspect's age. If he was, say, 34, would all of the press reports be saying "The 34-year-old suspect will be in custody today and will be charged as an adult."?

      That's because this is America. An 18-year old is more likely to behave like a 10-year-old than like an adult.

      --
      Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
    7. Re:He is already under surveillance by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree! What the heck does age have to do with anything anyway? What magical change occurs at 18 that causes a person to be more or less responsible? Aren't there responsible 15 year olds? Aren't there irresponsible 30 year olds? I want to know who picked these magical numbers and why!

  83. MSBlaster SP1? by hughk · · Score: 1

    In my understanding the accused just developed and released a variant based on the original.

    --
    See my journal, I write things there
  84. Virus Copyrights by RevMike · · Score: 1
    The kid actually did not write the MSBlaster worm, he modified it to make it more potent and released it.

    Did he license it properly from the owner of the original MSBlaster? I see another SCO type case!

  85. New Game by LINM · · Score: 1

    Are they sure it wasn't the new Sims Virus Beta?

    I guess you design what virus' do, how they affect computers, and watch them in a 'real world' simulation. You can even turn off firewalls and watch them tear through corporate networks (no nightmares please).

    This could be illegal, but it's perfectly fine to blast away innocent people (and evil orcs) on Quake XII. As long as you don't do it in real life, it should be alright (and maybe a bad idea for impressionable minors).

    --

    Hunger is the best sauce.

  86. Blaster, indeed by jargoone · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Hope whoever it was had fun, because a world of pain is waiting in store now.

    That's for sure. Where he's going, I'm sure he'll be experiencing a "blaster" of a different sort.

  87. 18? Ouch. by SpaceRook · · Score: 1

    He ain't a minor anymore. Welcome to the big leagues, buddy. Kiss jeuvey hall goodbye.

  88. Re:If by jgarland79 · · Score: 0

    I call that job security by windows insecurity.

    --
    Microsoft Windows runs on stress and frustration.
  89. Re:Prison rape is real funny, you sick fucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So you think that prison rape is so wrong, that you wish on people who think is funny? I hope i'm incorrectly inferring what you're implying, because that would make you a hypocrite. Incidently I think all hypocrites, and worm authors should be subject to having their brown eye poked out. Seeing as how we have similar interests (wishing anal rape on people we don't agree with) maybe we could be friends.

  90. all the kid has to do... by WormholeFiend · · Score: 1

    the Agents will wipe the kid's slate clean, to give him a fresh start. All they ask in return is his cooperation in bringing a known terrorist to justice.

  91. Re:MUST SEE SHOW ON PBS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is nothing new, it has been going on for decades. Textile workers, auto workers, steel workers, and others have all been through this before.

  92. Hmm by cosjef · · Score: 0

    One word--patsy.

  93. Re:How does that "First they came for the.." poem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's actually insightful, though since you posted as an AC it probably won't be recognized as such.

    Hey, since I'm posting AC too I'll even add this...Maybe if you ask Joe Sixpack nice enough he'll save you a place in the food stamp line.

  94. more news by Molina+the+Bofh · · Score: 5, Funny

    Redmond, VA: The youngster will be charged by two companies with accusations of reverse engineering. Citing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), Microsoft is accusing him of implementing a piece of code that circunvents patented Microsoft's Windows protection.

    Richard Ludwig, attorney for Microsoft, said "My clients believe that the writer of this virus is actively destroying the value of my client's proprietary technology, and demand that this viral activity cease immediately."

    Mark Scheise, attorney for SCO, said the teenager violated its intellectual property rights by using SCO code in the virus. He said that each bit from its code was a perfect match with SCO's code. "He was using exactly the same two bits as SCO, just in another sequence". Scheise also added that this was not just a coincidence, and denied any request to disclose wich are the two bits. "I can't tell you wich are these two bits, but I assure you they're the same as thos used by SCO".

    --

    -
    Roses are #FF0000, Violets are #0000FF, find / -name '*base*' |xargs chown -R us && mv zig greatjustice
  95. A network administrator? by White+Manual · · Score: 1

    If that were the case, such administrator could have some responsability too, if he knew about the virus and didn't stop the guy.

    1. Re:A network administrator? by danheskett · · Score: 2, Informative

      Nope, thats not how law generally works in this country. If I am walking down the street and see some guy about to kill another guy with a hammer to the head I am under no legal obligation to attempt to dissuade or stop the would be killer. The same principle applies throughout all of American style-law, and I can't think of any exceptions where a person has an affirmative duty to thwart crime or criminals.

    2. Re:A network administrator? by Geek+of+Tech · · Score: 1
      However, this is different. The network adminstrators' job is to keep any damage from happening to his system. By not reporting him, he would be neglecting his job. Possible but not likely to happen by any geek.

      --
      Stop the Slashdot effect! Don't read the articles!
    3. Re:A network administrator? by arkanes · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Not 100% correct - if you saw it happen, and didn't do anything, for example, you didn't call the police, you could be liable in a number of ways. Especially if you were, for example, a security guard in charge of the area. You aren't required to put your own life at risk by physically protecting the stranger but you'd be in danger of criminal prosecution for negligence and certainly civil liability if you were in a position of authority with the ability to prevent a crime and you didn't do so.

    4. Re:A network administrator? by MarkGriz · · Score: 1

      Guess you weren't a fan of "Seinfeld"

      --
      Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder.
    5. Re:A network administrator? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are required to minimize damage. You are allowed to protect others the same as when it is self-defense. Oh, and you are allowed to shoot the guy, you are not required to fight hammer-to-hammer.

    6. Re:A network administrator? by BobTheLawyer · · Score: 1

      "criminal prosecution for negligence"? Hello?

      You need to check up on the difference between civil and criminal law - the parent was talking about the latter.

    7. Re:A network administrator? by mwood · · Score: 1

      Certainly someone witnessing a crime in progress is required to assist to the extent that it doesn't put him in unreasonable danger. Shouting, "Hey, you, stop! POLICE!!! POLICE!!!" would probably be enough to make a bludgeoner run away. If the crime actually takes place in your presence, aren't you required to report what you saw, and to summon LE if possible?

      (Note to the touchy: yes, this is US-centric. I've not left the country except for one overnight stay in Canada and cannot comment on others' laws.)

    8. Re:A network administrator? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually this guy could be held indefinetely as a suspected terrorist with no trial and no need to present any evidence. All proceedings would be secret in the name of National Security. He could even be denied the right to seek councel. Think about it. He did technically "terrorize" many people and systems across the globe. Or was it just "freedom fighting"?

    9. Re:A network administrator? by arkanes · · Score: 1

      You've heard of criminal negligence? Allowing a crime (such as murder) to ocurr when you have the ability and the responsibility to prevent it is criminal. The burden of proof and the requirements are much higher than for a civil case, such as the negligence being willfull.

    10. Re:A network administrator? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      DOn't get me started. That finale was so stupid.

      Any lawyer worth his salt would immediately get them out of jail by pointing out that they VIDEOTAPED the crime (carjacking?- I forget), which means they provided the police with a video to help identify trhe perp(s).

      Plus, since the courts have rulled that the POLICE have no duty to protect people, HowTF can people be held to a duty to protect people?

      Puhleeeze.

  96. Another possibility is that this is FUD. by skandalfo · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Maybe the FBI is copying SCO's tactics here, probably pushed on by Microsoft too, who are the ones actually responsible and the ones trying to cover their back.

    It could be that there isn't any 18 year old programmer, nor any witness either. It may be only a tactic to spread FUD among any potential future virus writers, so that they think "Hey! They've actually caught one virus writer. They could also catch me."

    So... my particular conspiracy theory is that there's no one about to be caught, but that this FUD move would serve these purposes:

    • Make public oppinion think the FBI isn't helpless when fighting back virus writers (scapegoat for the FBI).
    • FUD potential future virus writers out of business, so hopefully reducing the efforts needed by Microsoft and the FBI in the future in this front.
    • Taking attention away from the fact that it's Microsoft fault to implement these "please don't hack me" security policies.
  97. Punishment fit the crime... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I know the anti-hacker stance isn't popular on /. , and I fully expect to be modded down, but this is my opinion; send him to jail for life. He's an adult, and fully aware of the consequences; *his virus* shut down more computing than could fit in a room, and ruined more lives than most murderers.

    1. Re:Punishment fit the crime... by DirkDaring · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Runied more lines than most murderes? Are you kidding me? Do you know the impact of families when a loved one is killed? This was a freaking computer virus. It was fixed with a simple update. Sure, some people lost a day or productivity, some sites were shut down. You saying that missing a day to go to the DOT to get your damn car tags renewed is more damaging than the loss of a human life in a tragic murder shows how stupid you really are. It's no wonder you posted as AC.

    2. Re:Punishment fit the crime... by Cobratek · · Score: 1

      Puh-Leeze .... life sentence for a freekin worm ? gimme a break. He should go to jail alright but life is a bit extreme. Computers are not people. Any _COMPETENT_ system administrator would have had at LEAST a firewall. Poor administration or complete ignorance of the consequences of not securing your machine results in infection. This worm woke a lot of people up.

      You are just ticked off cuz you got caugth with your pants down.

      --
      DONT TREAD ON ME MOÎΩN ÎABÃ
    3. Re:Punishment fit the crime... by ninthwave · · Score: 1

      I don't know, from where I have been working it helped force management to actually patch the RPCDCOM hole because the did not believe it was a security risk, until it was proven in the wild.

      Though it caused a huge panic within our IT having the hole patched has stopped the single user stealing data through this exploit.

      To me this is more important and if the pointy haired boss needs worms like this to understand the scope of a security hole it is better that a harmles (from data security view) worm proves it to them than a cracker stealing data does. The worm is more easily seen than the cracker when a hole like this exists.

      --
      I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said: "I drank what?" - Chris Knight (Val Kilmer)- Real Genius
  98. 7-11 by golgotha007 · · Score: 3, Funny

    i hope he gets to finish his Big Gulp before the feds throw him in the van...

  99. The most likely reason by JamesP · · Score: 2, Funny

    is that this guy was caught using telnet/pine to read his mail at home and some other kid saw this "very complicated" screen with no buttons and not even a paper clip to help in this task

    So, he's quite obviously 1337 h4x0r...

    --
    how long until /. fixes commenting on Chrome?
  100. They may just be unconcerned by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 1

    Remember we are not talking about a drug baron here with millions of dollars and access to and knowledge of a foriegn country. We are talking about an 18-year old kid, probably a university student, mostlikely the dorky-always-in-front-of-the-computer type. He probably does not have the means nor knowledge to flee the country, even if he could do so without the FBI knowing.

    In a case like this it would not be hard for the FBI to talk to him, decide he was their man, keep an eye on him (or enlist the local police to help do that) and tell him not to go anywhere. For someone with large finincial resources and knowledge of the world, this would be a bad idea as they might attempt to flee but for your average young person it just isn't feasable.

    1. Re:They may just be unconcerned by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For someone with large finincial resources and knowledge of the world, this would be a bad idea as they might attempt to flee but for your average young person it just isn't feasable.

      Then again knowing your responsible for millions of damage, and you panic?

  101. Testing ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    He was testing the code !!! Must be an amateur: real programmers know our code works.

  102. Can We Finally Consolidate Bumper Stickers? by syntap · · Score: 2, Funny

    With "Free Kevin" already on my bumper I'm running out of room... can we just have a "Free Hackerz" or "Free Lamerz" sticker for this one?

    1. Re:Can We Finally Consolidate Bumper Stickers? by el-spectre · · Score: 1

      At Defcon this year, Kevin was one of the guys playing hacker jeopardy, and the other teams were teasing him... suddenly one of the players shouted 'don't make him mad, he'll use the launch codes!' :)

      --
      "Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel." - A.B.
  103. You're right, this is just the penis32.exe variant by lseltzer · · Score: 1

    The WSJ says as much this morning (paid subscription required): The "Blaster.B" version of the infection, which began spreading Aug. 13, was remarkably similar to the original Blaster worm that struck two days earlier; experts said its author made a few changes, including renaming the infecting-file from "MSBlast" to an anatomical reference.

  104. Interesting by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Yet cars seem to still have so many security faults that are known, document, but unfixed. The biggest one is the highspeed collision. Running a car into another object, espically a car moving the the opposite direction, is highly likely to cause a catastrophic failure that often results in serious injury or death. This is a known flaw, it isn't like it is a mystery what happens when cars crash. It is even something that can be fixed to a degree with more durable, race-car style frames and 5/8 point safety harnessess instead of seatbelts.

    Now of course this isn't seen as a reason to sue car makers because it is an unintended way of using your car. You aren't SUPPOSED to crash it, and if you are a good driver you won't unless another bad driver hits you. The things that concern people are when cars fail when they do nothing wrong, ie the Firestone tire thing, or when the kind of failure is out of perportion with the mistake, ie low speed collison leads to gas tank explosion.

    Well, see, with computer security vunerabilites you are talking about people making unexpected use of your product. They are sending bad data to it, data it isn't designed to accept or work with. Somethimes this causes an unexpected result.

    So as far as I'm concerned, the computer world already has BETTER safety than automobiles. People can do all sorts of nasty, unexpected things to my computer, and it will shrug them off as if it were nothing. Any time some problem IS discovered, I am given an update to fix it. This would be like driving around in a car that had unpickable locks, un breakable glass, would not damage you or itself when you hit a wall, etc. Then if it was discovered that, for example, a certian acid could melt your locks and let someone in, they'd send you new locks that were impervious to that.

    Now of course software is virtual and so this can be done whereas it can't with a physical thing liek cars, but I'm not seeing any problems here. All security holes come from assholes trying to do things they shouldn't. I gaurentee if you setup a seperate physical trusted network with only users you know to not be hax0rs you will never find a system comprmised, even if they all remaing unpatched. It is only when you connect to the internet and every asshat is free to try and do all sorts of things they shouldn't are you in any danger.

    1. Re:Interesting by kerrbear · · Score: 1

      This would be like driving around in a car that had unpickable locks, un breakable glass, would not damage you or itself when you hit a wall, etc. Then if it was discovered that, for example, a certian acid could melt your locks and let someone in, they'd send you new locks that were impervious to that...It is only when you connect to the internet and every asshat is free to try and do all sorts of things they shouldn't are you in any danger.

      No, its more like somebody figures out a way to disable your car's engine, but then that disabling process jumps from car to car on the highway so that soon major traffic jams and accidents are happening all over the world causing interruptions in the goods and services that we depend on.

      Just wait untill there are deaths or serious monetary loss from one of these viruses (like a train collision or something), and then heads will begin to roll. So far not enough damage has been done, but that doesn't mean it won't eventually happen.

    2. Re:Interesting by kiwaiti · · Score: 1
      I'm sure some people must have died due to the power outages?

      Kiwaiti

      --
      Member of the Legion Of Microsoft Haters
    3. Re:Interesting by Placido · · Score: 1

      The biggest one is the highspeed collision.

      And having safer cars makes people feel more comfortable driving at higher speeds. If you replaced airbags with a 5 foot spike you'd probably get a dramatic reduction in speed.

      --

      Pinky: "What are we going to do tomorrow night Brain?"
      Brain: "I would tell you Pinky but this 120 char limi
    4. Re:Interesting by karnal · · Score: 1

      "Then if it was discovered that, for example, a certian acid could melt your locks and let someone in, they'd send you new locks that were impervious to that."

      No, they'd probably send you a flyer in the mail stating that they're having a sale at the mega car showroom on their newer vehicles with added "acid-resistant door locks"....

      --
      Karnal
    5. Re:Interesting by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 1

      Running a car into another object, espically a car moving the the opposite direction, is highly likely to cause a catastrophic failure that often results in serious injury or death. This is a known flaw, it isn't like it is a mystery what happens when cars crash.

      This is called physics. It's not a 'known flaw'.
      Sure, you could build passenger cars to NASCAR standards. And no one could afford to buy or operate them. Add a race-car style frame and rollcage? Add weight and drop the gas mileage. 8 point safety harness? Too complex. No one would use them.

      Know how to make cars really safe? Remove all the driver side airbags and safety harnesses. Weld a solid steel 6" spike to the center of the steering wheel. Poof...everyone drives a LOT more carefully. And if you do crash, you can only do it once.

    6. Re:Interesting by lone_marauder · · Score: 1

      So as far as I'm concerned, the computer world already has BETTER safety than automobiles.

      You're kidding, right? You can't possibly be serious. I've never known a car to suddenly halt on a busy highway because it didn't like the flavor of chocolate cookies in the groceries I was carrying.

      --
      who are those slashdot people? they swept over like Mongol-Tartars.
    7. Re:Interesting by Ophidian+P.+Jones · · Score: 1

      So as far as I'm concerned, the computer world already has BETTER safety than automobiles.

      Hey Bill! How's the weather in Redmond these days? September is so lovely in coastal Washington.

    8. Re:Interesting by JahToasted · · Score: 1
      Well, see, with computer security vunerabilites you are talking about people making unexpected use of your product.

      Ummm... so connecting Windows XP to the Internet is an unexpected use of the product?

      And looking at the analogy of the automobiles and software... well when there is a defect in an automobile the manufacturer recalls the vehicles by contacting all of the owners of the vehicles. I did not get any email or any kind of notice from Microsoft before or after the virus hit. This despite the fact that my workplace spent a huge amount of money for a windows 2000 server license and exchange licenses. I am expected to use MY internet connection to download the patch on MY time and MY banwidth.

      If microsoft really were taking responsibility, they would deliver CDs with the patches to all of their customers when there was a problem like this. God knows they have the resources to do this.

  105. When I first saw this and by bob670 · · Score: 1

    noticed the location I thought they had arrested the weak ass Microsoft coder that left this hole in the first place. Oh well...

  106. Re:It is so obvious that Microsoft wrote this arti by Eric+Destiny · · Score: 0

    Is securifying a lot like securing?

    --

    "The meek shall inherit the earth, the rest of us shall go to the stars." Isaac Asimov

  107. It's obvious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The Bio Suit and gloves will give anybody away

  108. Huh huh, he said penis... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Reread the article. They didn't bust the original author. They busted the lamewad that renamed msblast.exe to penis32.exe -- all he did was modify the existing virus.

    Granted, the dipshit _touched_ the virus code and released a variant (albeit an extremely unoriginal one)

    It was probably about as difficult as hex-editing a file. Gee. 5 minutes of dicking around is going to get him a life long prison ass pounding. Way to go, Genius.

    And of course the uninformed media is going to paint the dumb bastard to be THE msblast author. Can anyone say "Scapegoat?"

    1. Re:Huh huh, he said penis... by Felinoid · · Score: 4, Interesting

      There is also a possability they busted someone who was just discecting blaster not making a new varent.

      To a techno neophite there isn't much diffrence. If the guy decompiled the code and his friend looked over his sholder his friend would see someone with the blaster source.
      Decompillers aren't so well known now a days so even an experenced programmer who might normally know what he is looking at might not recognise this as decompiler output and not original source code.

      He might also not realise you generally can not recompile decompiled code.

      Or the busted teen is an idiot who said "Hay watch this. I got blaster. Now I'm chaning it to penis32. Aren't I clever?"

      --
      I don't actually exist.
    2. Re:Huh huh, he said penis... by golgotha007 · · Score: 1, Insightful

      If the guy decompiled the code...

      yeah, those decompilers are real handy.

    3. Re:Huh huh, he said penis... by jrockway · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Or, as my economics teacher says, "they can't really get him for anything". He suggests that they arrest the Microsoft engineers that allowed the flaw to exist.

      Think about it this way:

      If Blaster wasn't written, there wouldn't have been a Blaster epidemic.
      If DCOM was secured by MS engineers, there wouldn't have been a Blaster epidemic.

      So the virus author and MS are equally guilty. Take one out and there's no problem. Why is it the penniless virus writer instead of a huge corporation? Makes you think.

      --
      My other car is first.
    4. Re:Huh huh, he said penis... by andy+landy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      In all fairness, the MS engineers did notice the flaw over a month before anyone exploited it, and patches have been available. My Windows XP machine here was fine throughout.

      Maybe you should take them to court for creating 'del' - I imagine that's erased far more files than any virus ever has!

      The problem, as ever, is *how* you use something, and it was the virus writers who abused the system.

      Then again, maybe you could blame the millions of people out there who failed to keep their computers patched and updated, but that's another story...

      --
      perl -e 'print "Just another Perl newbie\n";'
    5. Re:Huh huh, he said penis... by StupidHelpDeskGuy · · Score: 0

      Here's a link to the local paper, picture of the kid. And the standard idiotic comments from his neighbors. Not real interesting, but I can garuntee you he did not write the original code.

      http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/6648968.h tm
    6. Re:Huh huh, he said penis... by aastanna · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Not that I want to defend Microsoft, but it's impossible to write a large software project without a few bugs. Yes, Microsoft could do a much better job with their software, but perfection is impossible.

      Also, while I sympathize with the sentiment, I feel the logic you use is flawed. For example, a pedistrian gets hit by a drunk driver. If the pedistrian wasn't there he wouldn't have been hit, but it's still the drunk driver's fault.

    7. Re:Huh huh, he said penis... by blincoln · · Score: 1

      So the virus author and MS are equally guilty. Take one out and there's no problem.

      That is a really poorly thought-out position. If someone breaks into my house, and I responsible because I didn't install steel doors and automated machinegun turrets?

      --
      "...always new atoms but always doing the same dance, remembering what the dance was yesterday." -Richard Feynman
    8. Re:Huh huh, he said penis... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He might also not realise you generally can not recompile decompiled code.

      Haven't done many disassemblies of viruses, have you?

    9. Re:Huh huh, he said penis... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Please learn to spell.

    10. Re:Huh huh, he said penis... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean you don't?

      Hold on, I see some Lutherans...

    11. Re:Huh huh, he said penis... by uxo · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Decompillers aren't so well known now a days so even an experenced programmer who might normally know what he is looking at might not recognise this as decompiler output and not original source code.

      Back in my day we called them disassemblers.

      Anyway, the author of this thread says someone witnessed him testing the virus, not modifying it.

    12. Re:Huh huh, he said penis... by $exyNerdie · · Score: 2, Interesting
    13. Re:Huh huh, he said penis... by Fishstick · · Score: 1

      >He looks bald at age 18 !!

      I thought the same thing when I first saw it too, but apparently he has a swath of dyed hair on top that looks like thinning hair in the B&W photo (I saw video of the guy being led around on the news a few minutes ago, he's not bald yet).

      --

      There is much cruelty in the universe, John.
      Yeah, we seem to have the tour map.

    14. Re:Huh huh, he said penis... by WeblionX · · Score: 1

      Steel doors, you're probably not responsible, but not installing machinegun turrets? _That_ is being irresponsible.

      --
      (\(\
      (=_=) Bani!
      (")")
    15. Re:Huh huh, he said penis... by Felinoid · · Score: 1

      Disasemblers and decompilers aren't exactly the same animal.

      Disasmeblers bring the code back to asembly language.
      Decompilers bring the code back to the source code it was originally writen in.

      Dosen't it make you feal old when not only do the names of the tools change but the tools themselfs so much so you can't keep up?

      I'd be sympatheti but back in my day we called them machine language monitors and people today keep trying to correct me when I say "Machine Language" and they say "You mean Asembly".

      Oh so he observed his friend demonstrating blaster?

      Wow I didn't know Leo Laport was 18...
      (Just so everyone knows Leo is the old guy on Screen Savers and Call for help who's been with Tech TV like FOREVER and he demostrated blaster on TV)

      --
      I don't actually exist.
    16. Re:Huh huh, he said penis... by Jesus+2.0 · · Score: 1

      Yes, very insightful. In the same way, we can determine that Orville and Wilbur Wright are responsible for 9/11.

    17. Re:Huh huh, he said penis... by uxo · · Score: 1

      Decompilers, eh? Outstanding! I finally learned something on Slashdot. How have you used them on the job?

      Oh so he observed his friend demonstrating blaster?

      Is it that you can't believe anyone would be stupid enough to launch a virus with someone else watching, or, do you just believe in the inherent goodness of man? ;-)

    18. Re:Huh huh, he said penis... by Felinoid · · Score: 1

      Naaa I think a virus writer is stupid enough to say it his friend "Hay look at this?" and launch a virus.

      However the avrage virus writer is also stupid enough that he could be lauching a virus he didn't write.

      --
      I don't actually exist.
    19. Re:Huh huh, he said penis... by Bodysurf · · Score: 1

      With friends like that, who needs enemies?

    20. Re:Huh huh, he said penis... by Aku+Head · · Score: 1
      Listening to the electronic media, the FBI seems to be grandstanding on this one in collusion with the news media who like to do "gee whiz" stories about technology.

      The FBI are really patting themselves on the back without ever pointing out that this guy did not write the MSBLASTER worm.

      The press loves to quote big numbers, like 500,000 computers infected. I doubt that more than a handful of computers were infected by this stupid kid. I've never heard of anyone getting infected by penis32.

      I don't think that it took Sherlock Holmes to identify the perpetrator when the idiot begs to be arrested by modifying the virus to connect to a web site that he had registered.

      I wish I had a dollar for every person that has asked me if I heard that they caught the guy who wrote the MSBLASTER virus. I told them all that they have been mislead and that he didn't write the virus. I don't think that anyone believed me.

  109. Fists in the air in the land of hypocrisy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Advertisers and marketing executives spend billions of dollars each year creating, researching, and disseminating memetic viruses through every conceivable media outlet...

    OUTCOME: Profit and stupidity

    An 18-year old writes a computer virus that shakes these corporations up a little bit....

    OUTCOME: The FBI arrests him

    MORAL OF THE STORY: The Matrix has you...

    P.S. Wake Up by Rage Against The Machine is a great song

  110. Re:If I had a larger cock, I could dream... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...so you couldn't take the humiliation of having the smallest cock of an entire prison, huh?

    If you really went to jail, you'd know that they aren't called guards, but officers, as in corrections officers. Calling an officer guard is a sure way to have them "forget" you while you are inside Max A or Max B yard, with the hardcore criminals.

    So, what was your maiden name? clitboy?

    The funniest aspect of prison is the recidivism rate. Which means while you haven't gotten your prison ass-pounding yet, you will, probably sooner rather than later.

    So start graduating to bigger and bigger plugs to stretch yourself out. Because I've seen some of the prison toys in a display case in the operations management office, next to all the confiscated shivs and shanks. And they are quite large, and quite cute. The cutest one was the one made out of a wheelbarrow handle. Someone must have spent weeks carving it and rounding/smoothing it. And it was notched in different places to indicate how deep it had been "set", with names next to each notch.

    It's not if, but when...

  111. LOVE SAN! by StrawberryFrog · · Score: 2, Funny

    It is clear what has happened. Young passions don't last. San (Sandra? Sanchez? Sanitarytowel?) has finally cracked and dumped her acne-faced geek-boy in the worst possible way...

    --

    My Karma: ran over your Dogma
    StrawberryFrog

  112. how do you know it's the right kid? by aldousd666 · · Score: 1

    The exploit was publicly available even before the first one came out. Check out astalavista for a 'tutorial' on how to do it. That was there before blaster, so this kid may be one of millions who wrote a 'similar' bug, so what's wrong with that? How many people write exploit for known bugs everyday? I don't think you can prosecute somebody beyond the shadow of a doubt when it comes to 'writing a similar' virus. Now if he was caught with the original worm source or something like that, they may have more of a case.

    --
    Speak for yourself.
  113. Re:Cry Me a River by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Personally, I have no sympathy or respect for you or anyone that goes to prison for committing a crime. Why should I respect someone who goes to prison? Because they manage to do their time. They have no choice. They can either kill themselves, be killed by someone else, or make it through. That's not much of a choice, nor is it the kind of adversity that warrants respect.

    Everyone knows that prison sucks and that there are good chances that you will encounter sexual assault and humiliation. This in fact, is a major deterrent to crime and going to prison. You committed a crime, were caught, and you went to prison. Obviously, the humiliation and potential for sexual assault was not a strong enough deterrent for you, so you must have accepted it on some level. Deal with it. If you were raped, I MIGHT have some sympathy, but according to your story, you were simply harassed and degraded verbally. Boo-hoo.

    It's sad that you place so much of your self-worth on your penis and sexuality. They are only words, nothing more. People have gone through more in elementary and high school. Hell, I knew a kid on the wrestling team who was held down while someone pissed on his head in the shower and who had icy-hot placed in his underwear. Yeah, it was a horrible thing and he was upset and humiliated, but got over it and now looks back on it with some humor. Hell, he managed to get back at the three kids, so I guess that helps. I remember another kid who got an erection while taking a shower in the locker room. Do you think the monsters known as adolescent football players let that one go ignored?

    Let me say it again.... quit your damn whining. Going to prison and being released is not something that deserves respect and I will continue to make joke about prison rape and humiliation because they are funny.

  114. That'd be the butt, Bob by The+Ape+With+No+Name · · Score: 0, Funny

    Federal. Ass-pounding. Facility.

    --
    Comparing it to Windows will be a moot point, since El Dorado is going to have a 40% larger code base than XP.
  115. Wrong initial reaction...? by joshsnow · · Score: 5, Insightful

    When I read the piece, my initial reaction was, "They really should arrest Bill Gates". However, on some reflection, I'm not so sure Microsoft is the sole source of all the disruption over these worms.

    OK, so the MS software makes worms and virus spreading relatively easy, due to activeX, executable mail attachments and bad security "out of the box" (open ports, exposed services such as RPC etc).

    Still, if a motor manufacturer sold a mass market car without locks, windows or an alarm system, would anybody buy it?

    The answer is, probably not. There's the issue of personal responsability to obtain a secure car. Same with software. Maybe it's all of those major businesses and misguided "CIOs" who keep buying Microsoft who ought to be arrested. Between them and the Microsoft execs, they've managed to create an environment which makes it easy for these bored young men to create worms.

    Poor 18 year old guy. Why should he be arrested? After all, what's a script(kiddie) among friends?

    1. Re:Wrong initial reaction...? by AbbyNormal · · Score: 1

      Nonononono.

      This is a case where the kid, found a shim and popped open the lock on a car. He knowingly (hence the taunt to Billy Gates) comitted a crime and should be punished. Period.

      We've already had this discussion a day ago about security on different platforms. Windows vs. Linux security does not cut it. This not some innocent 18 year old...he did the crime and he'll do the time.

      --
      Sig it.
    2. Re:Wrong initial reaction...? by JDBrechtel · · Score: 1

      What if that car manufacturer had contracts with ALL the major car dealerships (the only ones major businesses can really by from because they need the support contracts and warranties) that only allowed them to sell their computers at a reasonable price if they ONLY sold their cars?

      Also, these car dealerships have to sell this car manufacturers car because it's already got something like > 90% of the market and if they abrupbtly stopped selling them then the car dealerships would go out of business.

    3. Re:Wrong initial reaction...? by MagicBox · · Score: 1

      I am not so sure I agree with you in all the points. When I read the piece it really pisses me off that Microsoft doesn't do a better job at writing more secure software, but then I do not know of any company that doesn't have issues with security. Flaws in routers, flaws in firewalls and different third party software are common, and flaws in the OS of course. Over all however I think we have to look at the bottom line. The virus creator. Also a lot of sysadmins should be held as responsible as anyone for not patching up properly when they should/could have. Yeah the flaw was there, but the virus came months after the flaw was discovered. It should have been a piece of cake. It's like having a vaccine for a disease that was discovered a while ago. Now do you blame the scientists who created the vaccine for not applying it? Or do you blame the people for not voluntarily going to the clinic and those put in charge for not doing enough to get everyone protected? I think Windows has the locks, but I am not sure everyone is using them properly. Think about it. There are more that 500,000 Windows machines in the world. There are roughly 500,000,000. Why the hell didn't all or most of them get affected? Because most did their job properly. And then there's the delinquent, who IS a criminal. He should be punished for what he did. There are many more skilled programmers in the world than that 18 year old, who could have done the same, but they didn't. Would you do it? I would not, and I know many other programmer friends who wouldn't. It takes a criminal, evil mind to do such damage. The 18 year old is a danger to the society, in a digital form of 0s and 1s of course. Anyone who takes joy out of any form of destruction is dangerous. With that said, Microsoft should have never allowed such a flaw in their system in the first place. It always made me wonder, how a company with so much capital screws up so easily in their flagship product(s)

      --

      The phaomnneil pweor of the hmuan mnid. Fcuknig amzanig eh!
    4. Re:Wrong initial reaction...? by JDBrechtel · · Score: 1

      The kid should be punished though, don't get me wrong.

  116. lousy implementation? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The thing spread everywhere, what planet are you from?

    1. Re:lousy implementation? by sperling · · Score: 1

      If the implementation was any good it'd not be noticable for the users that they got rooted. The worm wouldn't overload everything and get noticed immediately. It wouldn't postpone the DoS long enough for MS to handle it. It wouldn't attack the wrong website. It wouldn't be unable to upgrade itself anonymously.

      So, yes, it was a lousy implementation. I'm just happy that we haven't seen a well-written worm really attempting to create havoc yet.

      --
      The next great MMORPG.
  117. Another version of the Blaster worm by No2NT · · Score: 2, Interesting

    An the article is not kidding about variants of the blast worm. Two weeks ago we saw heavy destination traffic on port 4444 to random boxen on the internet. It turns out one of my client's linux boxen had been cracked into and a dropper that works just like the blaster virus starting hitting hundreds of outside servers. We tested it in a clean lab and it would infect but not install the worm properly. It was nice that he left source code and all. Makes me wonder just how many variants are still out there?

    Here's the some of the source, might look familiar to some of you..... Hope the right person sees this. /*
    **
    ** 2003/07/27 - DCOM RPC WIN32 remote exploit (Most languages)
    **
    ** FlashSky/Benjurry and, H D Moore's code is very excellent.
    ** It works well even if change only return address.
    ** I didn't feel necessity for new make.
    **
    ** Thankful to them.
    **
    ** 2003/07/30 - Update, Added magic return address.
    **
    ** kokanin supplied very excellent information:
    ** URL: http://lists.netsys.com/pipermail/full-disclosure/ 2003-July/012000.html
    **
    ** * As well as Korean thanks to, a lot of systems can exploit.
    **
    ** --
    ** Thank you.
    **
    ** P.S: Sorry, for my poor english.
    **
    ** --
    ** exploit by "you dong-hun"(Xpl017Elz), .
    ** My World: http://x82.i21c.net & http://x82.inetcop.org
    */

    #include
    #include
    #include
    #include
    #include
    #include

    u_char bindstr[]={
    0x05,0x00,0x0B,0x03,0x10,0x00,0x00,0x00,
    0x48,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x7F,0x00,0x00,0x00,
    0xD0,0x16,0xD0,0x16,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,

  118. Re:Cry Me a River by halo8 · · Score: 1

    normally i would agree with you...

    however since the passing of the DMCA, Patriot Act.. all the other shit in the past 10 years

    i think your a fucking ass

    WAKE UP AND SMELL THE FUCKING ROSES
    "let ye of no sin cast teh first stone

    do you have any MP3's? ANY? i mean just 1? cause right now its illegal to have a copyrighted song.. well.. in a few years.. you may be going to jail for that.. YOUR BREAKING THE LAW ASSHOLE!!! do you speed? ever double park? well today thats just a fine and a ticket tomorow you could go to jail as well..

    shut the fuck up, show a bit of compassion, show some sympothy, act like a fucking human being for christ sakes!

    --
    The More Knowledge you have the Luckier you Get- J.R. Ewing
  119. We all know who's really at fault here. by Penguin2212 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The MSBlast worm was responsible for one of the worst computer security outbreaks of this year.

    Where it should read....

    Microsoft was responsible for one of the worst computer security outbreaks of this year.

    From the BBC article found here

    Personally, the media is more focused on promoting the stereotype of the teenage kid who has go nothing better to do that 'hack' computer systems. The emphasis should be on why it was so easy for an amateur was able to write such a destructive program. Bottom line is that Microsoft writes bad software, and people need to know this. Obviously Microsoft isn't 100% responsible for this, but making a media scapegoat isn't going to solve the underlying problem. I don't feel sorry at all for the Maryland Department of Motor Vehicles. They deserved what happened to them, it was only through their own ignorance that it happened. People in today's society want to use computer, bur rarely take the time to learn and understand even the most basic principles of how they work. And what heppens is after that, they expect techies like us to take their shit.

    1. Re:We all know who's really at fault here. by DavidBrown · · Score: 1

      Actually, the headline should read:

      Stupid People who don't update their OS and Paranoid People who refuse to do so are responsible for one of the worst computer security outbreaks of the year.

      I have a network of 16 computers. I've got an el-cheapo Linksys Firewall, and we download automatic updates. I've had absolutely no problems with MSBlast. None. Microsoft update, for those who ran it, fixed the problem weeks before the virus hit.

      --
      144l. ph34r my 133t l3g4l 5k1lz!
  120. Re:If by GigsVT · · Score: 1

    The word you guys want is "affect".

    Yeah, it's a stupid grammar nitpick.

    --
    I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
  121. And vice versa? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When there is a security problem with an open source product that leads to a worm, can we arrest the authors of that as well?

  122. It would hold up fine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It is against the law to provide false information or statements to a police officer.

    Dumbass

  123. Open Source Forever! by retrogramer · · Score: 1

    Besides, Bill Gates deserves do get his butt kicked. If he gave me enough money to buy all the tech toys I would be tempted not to hire a ninja to take care of him. (I probably would, anyway, though!) But, since he hasn't, I'm gonna diss him until that time comes, and hope this sort of thing happens again. Use Linux/UNIX, and you will be happy with great happiness. Anyone who wants to arrest a great hacker in the making is obviously stupid. Let's all kick Billy's butt! YEAH!

  124. Re:waahh.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    NO! You did something to deserve to be there, jail is not intended to be a happy fun place. Respect for a FELON?! please...

    With the PATRIOT Act, the DMCA, and other draconian legislation being pushed through our legal system, I wonder how long it will be before you, my friend, wake up one morning to find you are a felon...

  125. Network police by White+Manual · · Score: 1

    That is only because you are not a street "administrator". If you were a street cop, may be thwart crime would be your duties? User policies, both in networks and in the street, _are_ policed for, even if we, as network administrators, naturally don't like to talk about the policing we do.

    1. Re:Network police by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A private company pays me. I am not even remotely a law enforcement official. I protect my company's networks and expect you to do the same for your company's.

  126. Witnessed Testing? by Cyno01 · · Score: 1

    Techno! He was listening to techno and working on a computer, he must have been writing a virus.

    --
    "Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
  127. Wait until good programmers do this by DukeLinux · · Score: 1

    It would seem most of the recent celebrated viruses have been written by semi-skilled script kiddies or worse. Let's face it, VBA makes it simple to write an e-mail virus. My usual response at work or to friends regarding these viruses is: it's probably some bored kid because you do not realize how easy it is to write a virus for Windows...and how stupid your are for using it...then I start one of my Linux rants and they all run away.

    Just think what will happen when a skilled programmer writes one of these (if not already).

  128. They caught Fibton?!?! by Cyno01 · · Score: 1
    --
    "Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
  129. No but.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Format C: is certainly feasable.

  130. Further driving offtopic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's nice to say that men who get raped in prison deserve it and that's hwo it should be, but there's a flipside. What about all the truly evil scumbags who do the raping? It's probably one of the reasons they don't mind going back, they ENJOY it.

    Prisons need to be revamped altogether, with surveillance everywhere and heavily arm(or)ed response teams asserting control, instead of doling out conjugal visits and weightlifting equipment in the hopes that the inmates don't decide to take over the prisons at their liesure.

    PS - I bet the jackass who posted the above message considers himself a moral christian, they all do.

    1. Re:Further driving offtopic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, "Love thy neighbor" and "turn the other cheek" went out with the Dark Ages.

    2. Re:Further driving offtopic by oPless · · Score: 1

      PS - I bet the jackass who posted the above message considers himself a moral christian, they all do.

      No, I don't associate myself with hypocrites and scumbags.

  131. Re:If by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Seattle.
    USA.
    He's no longer a minor.

  132. unsafe at any speed by goombah99 · · Score: 1
    The idea of a ralph nader style accountability is a interesting one. the core argument would be that Windows did not follow minimal safe computing standards and that they knew this. Subpeona of e-mail and memos would probably prove the latter, expert testamony would establish the former.

    but who would take the case? Not the government. And any Civil alwsuit would probebly not beable to get the subpeona it needs since no jusge is going to let just any lawyer go on a fishing expedition in MS files.

    still would be nice to see Rlaph write a book with the same title as the pinto

    I just spent 3 hours removing an ancient virus (backdoor) that showed up on a freinds windows machine. I was astonished it took me that long. THe problem Norton Util would say it found a virus but not saw where the files were, the info on their website was out of date since the virus was using new file names now, and if you did not get the right combination of "restore mode off, safe mode on" before scanning you had to do it over. And this was on a computer that "said" it was up-to-date on patches and virus definitions. grrrr

    --
    Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
  133. Prison rape by Boing · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Okay, this will likely be treated as a troll, but I have a little karma to burn. I have issue with the people who are moderating the numerous "haha this guy will get raped in jail" comments as "funny". Prison rape is a serious issue, as much as real-world rape. This kid is eighteen. He did something that pissed off a lot of the world (including most of the people reading slashdot). But, legally or not, he's a damn kid. If you're older than eighteen, how many asswitted things did you do when you were that age? Would you have ever thought that the idea of you getting raped for any of them was acceptable?

    I expect the comments in the first place. It's inevitable among any community that has people the likes of the "Frist p0st" and "go to cnn.com [secret link to goatse.cx]" commenters. But the moderation system is in place so that crap like that can get ignored by the people who don't want to hear it.

    If you think it's funny, Obviously I can't/won't stop you from moderating it that way. But think about the real issue behind it before you encourage lighthearted humor about rape.

    1. Re:Prison rape by PhxBlue · · Score: 1

      That's what metamoderation's for, though, right? :)

      --
      !#@%*)anks for hanging up the phone, dear.
    2. Re:Prison rape by Nethead · · Score: 1

      This kid, all 6'4" and 320lbs of him, will be, if convicted, going to a Federal Prison Camp (FPC). These camps often do not have fences or locks on the doors. After a few months he may be granted the status of Community Custody which will allow him to perform work details off of the camp's grounds, often unsupervised. The instances of rape in a FPC is quite low, so much that I have never heard of a verified account it the three years I spent at such facilities. FPC residents are all screened for violence before they are classified as a 'camper'.

      Even if he doesn't get classified as a camper his height and bulk will go a long way to protect him. I'm 5'4" and was about 130 lbs back then and I never had a problem.

      Now if he were going to a state joint, then all bets are off. Prison rape IS a real problem, just not where he most likely will be sent.

      How do I know this? 1987, Sprint, a C64, 18USC1029 and a whole bunch of long-distance phone calls.

      --
      -- I have a private email server in my basement.
    3. Re:Prison rape by cpeterso · · Score: 1


      In Soviet Russia, prisons rape YOU!

    4. Re:Prison rape by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hint to moderators: If there is not a single answer to a comment after several hours, how can it be "flamebait"? Moderating anonymous comments down is quite useless anyway: " Pissing of the world by distributing malicious software which had already proven its potential to cause problems was not among the things I did when I was eighteen. Nothing I did at that age came even close. You're seriously downplaying his crime. Granted, we have more civilized ways of dealing with people like him, but puhleeze, someone who takes software like Blaster and tries to make it more dangerous deserves the bitch-side of a prison rape -- to get the message through or at least to amuse his victims."

    5. Re:Prison rape by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      This kid is eighteen. He did something that pissed off a lot of the world (including most of the people reading slashdot). But, legally or not, he's a damn kid. If you're older than eighteen, how many asswitted things did you do when you were that age? Would you have ever thought that the idea of you getting raped for any of them was acceptable?


      Amen. As Church would say:

      "You are a god damn idiot. I'd like to prove this mathematically if I may. Take your current age. Now subtract ten years from it. Were you smart back then? Of course you weren't, you were a god damn idiot! Fact of the matter is, you're just as big an idiot today, it's just going to take you ten more years to realize it."

      Anonymous to retain moderations meted in this story.
    6. Re:Prison rape by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Im going to rape you....

    7. Re:Prison rape by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Way to screw up the joke :-)

  134. Re:Prison and Justice system corrupted by Viol8 · · Score: 1

    "The bible in proverbs says not to withhold good from someone when it is in your power to help"

    The bible also has a load of other social moralising. Do you go along with it all? If you do them you'll be either a hypocrite or insane since
    it contradicts itself numerous times. Man I hate holier than thou bible bashers.

  135. interestingly, The Virus had a GPL licence by goombah99 · · Score: 4, Funny
    It turns out the virus had been released under a GPL licence. It was open source. The kid made some changes so he was REQUIRED by the GPL to release them.

    But you are of course obliged to make a good faith efferot test your software and make sure it does not have simple bugs, compiles and runs before you release it. The kid was obviously just releasing his testing his changes prior to releasing the source as he was required to do under the GPL.

    all viruses should be GPL. THen bill gates will really be right.

    --
    Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
    1. Re:interestingly, The Virus had a GPL licence by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I realize that you are joking, but your post is pretty heavy on the garbage. The GPL does not require you to distribute anything. If you _choose_ to distribute it, though, you must follow the terms of the GPL.

    2. Re:interestingly, The Virus had a GPL licence by rifter · · Score: 1

      I realize that you are joking, but your post is pretty heavy on the garbage. The GPL does not require you to distribute anything. If you _choose_ to distribute it, though, you must follow the terms of the GPL.

      But how do you run a worm without distributing it? :)

    3. Re:interestingly, The Virus had a GPL licence by daniel_yokomiso · · Score: 1
      --
      Disclaimer: If I disagree with you I'm probably trolling...
    4. Re:interestingly, The Virus had a GPL licence by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Always good to get rid of your screen-name that is inside the code, too. Once More With Feeling

    5. Re:interestingly, The Virus had a GPL licence by Jerf · · Score: 1
      I've seen this sig a couple of times:
      "While the Melissa license is a bit unclear, Melissa aggressively
      encourages free distribution of its source code."
      --Kevin Dalley
      For example, see this message; some versions don't have the attribution, which I couldn't verify easily.

      (For those who don't recall, Melissa was distributed as a VBScript script, and as a result, was trivially easy to read the code to.)
    6. Re:interestingly, The Virus had a GPL licence by Zork+the+Almighty · · Score: 1

      Run it on your own network.

      --

      In Soviet America the banks rob you!
    7. Re:interestingly, The Virus had a GPL licence by raga · · Score: 1

      It turns out the virus had been released under a GPL licence. It was open source.

      That means SCO owns the IP rights for it.

      cheers- raga

  136. Re:relevant limerick by liquidsin · · Score: 1

    A kiddie made changes to Blaster,
    trying to make it run faster.
    Now we're all making jokes,
    'cuz he was bought for some smokes
    by George, who he now calls his master.

    --
    do not read this line twice.
  137. Bullshit! by kevlar · · Score: 1

    The Feds only have some kid who was f'ing around with the source code for a variant of Blaster. In other words, they're going to pin all the damage on him, even though he may not have even wrote the original virus or infected machines!!!

    The truth of the matter is that they don't know who wrote the virus and they don't even know where to begin to investigate. This sickens me because as of right now it looks like someone made a phonecall and the Feds are ready to blame that person for all the problems that were caused by the virus. Even if the kid had the original source code, thats not justification for prosecution. God knows how easy it is to obtain that stuff.

  138. Fuck The FBI by skenfrith · · Score: 0, Troll

    i like viruses becuuse they help keep us on our toes and point out flaws in architecture and implementation.

    Sucks for you if you got "infected" before anyone knew about it, thats life.

    Sucks if you got "infected" *after* the virus was known, your stupid.

    You or your applications ran untrusted code; get/demand better apps or get/demand a better brain. But dont put someone in prison because the public are morons.

  139. WAHHHHH WAHHHHHH by router_ninja · · Score: 1

    If you behave in a manner that lands you in prison, you deserve everything that comes along with prison with the exception of the cable tv and other little comforts that the PC crowd has insisted we WELL BEHAVED citizins pay for.

    --
    CINCINNATI BELL IS TEH SUCK.
    1. Re:WAHHHHH WAHHHHHH by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      here is halo8's answer. suits you too:

      normally i would agree with you...

      however since the passing of the DMCA, Patriot Act.. all the other shit in the past 10 years

      i think your a fucking ass

      WAKE UP AND SMELL THE FUCKING ROSES
      "let ye of no sin cast teh first stone

      do you have any MP3's? ANY? i mean just 1? cause right now its illegal to have a copyrighted song.. well.. in a few years.. you may be going to jail for that.. YOUR BREAKING THE LAW ASSHOLE!!! do you speed? ever double park? well today thats just a fine and a ticket tomorow you could go to jail as well..

      shut the fuck up, show a bit of compassion, show some sympothy, act like a fucking human being for christ sakes!

    2. Re:WAHHHHH WAHHHHHH by buck_wild · · Score: 1

      I would think that if I risked some time in prison for doing what I was about to do...I'd REALLY have to rethink my path in life.

      --
      If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
  140. Blunted?? by cmay · · Score: 1

    "Infected computers were programmed to automatically launch an attack on a Web site operated by Microsoft, which the software maker easily blunted"

    I guess if taking the site offline counts, then this statement would be true.

    1. Re:Blunted?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They didn't take the Windows Update site offline. They took an old redirect offline.

  141. Re:waahh.. by Smaug+the+Golden · · Score: 1

    So anything in jail goes? Torture is fine? Why don't we just bring in some hungry lions. Maybe open a shooting gallery. Fuck the innocents, and the person caught with a bag of pot or the coder violating the DMCA, they knew what they were getting into. I like to pretend that we are more civilized than that, and leave "an eye for an eye" in the old testament where it belongs. How can someone get off on something so cruel? I hope you never end up in a situation like that.

  142. Not so much a crime as product defect liability by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    I think a customer-driven class action lawsuit would be more appropriate. Considering (1) how long this hole went undetected (2) Microsoft's overall track record on security and (3) the fact that teenagers are doing most of the damage, I think the plaintiffs could argue gross negligence and make it stick.

    I am beginning to worry about the fate of M$ customers who provide services using M$ products. At some point, M$ security will be so throughly discredited that trusting them is an act of negligence all by itself. How many spectacular incidents will it take? Are we there yet? When Nader went after GM, the Corvair safety issues were not well known. Three decades years later, we know. If you buy a used Corvair on E-bay, it's hard to blame GM for an ancient problem that any reasonable person should have known about.

    At some point, we have to stop trashing Microsoft and simply acknowledge "they do what they do, they are what they are". Guess who is to blame for the continued trust of something thoroughly proven to be unsafe?

  143. Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by RedBear · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Ha ha, yes, it is quite amusing to be sent to prison for a nonviolent offense (typing on a keyboard, for instance) and subsequently violently raped repeatedly by multiple large black men while the guards stand by and laugh and the prison wardens make no effort to keep it from happening. We will be sure to laugh heartily when you, your brother, father, son, uncle and/or cousins are sentenced to 30 days for some minor offense which they may or may not have committed. We will chuckle about the fact that they have a very good chance of coming home broken and scarred physically and psychologically by their horrifying experiences. Ha ha ha.

    Rape is immoral. Rape is inhuman. Rape is cruel and unusual punishment, and we have laws against that. I always find it entertaining how our entire prison establishment feels these laws are unimportant, and our culture thinks that jokes about young, weak, and sometimes innocent people getting forcibly sodomized is a fabulous thing to joke about. Wait, no, I don't find it entertaining. I find it makes me sick to my stomach.

    It's also heartening to see every prison rape joke getting a +5, Funny. Thank you, moderators. Great way to get karma. Keep up the good work.

    Help Stop Prisoner Rape by not treating it like a joke.

    1. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by ivanmarsh · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Blaster took down transportation systems, among other things, and put many people's lives in danger.

      Rape is the least of what he deserves. Try him as a domestic terrorist under the patriot act an make him disappear.

    2. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Richthofen80 · · Score: 1

      damn, where's my '-1, Raped' modifier when I need it

      --
      Reason, free market capitalism, and individualism
    3. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Deciding what is funny and what is not is the road to telling people what to think. The reality of rape is cruel and unfortunate, however the concept is ripe for parody. It's a technique in humor known as hyperbole which was old when Shakespeare wrote his contributions to the subject.

      whenever you feel the need to remind people how awful life really is, take a deep breath, and try to appreciate the humor instead.

    4. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by pclminion · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Are you a raving lunatic or something? What the hell did the original poster say about prison rape? Am I missing something here? Oh, and nice crack about "large black men."

      Folks I think this is a well disguised troll.

    5. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by grub · · Score: 1


      It's also heartening to see every prison rape joke getting a +5, Funny. Thank you, moderators. Great way to get karma.

      Funny moderation doesn't affect karma, it's in the FAQ. Note that being moderated Funny doesn't help your karma. You have to be smart, not just a smart-ass. Too bad as prison-rape jokes are funny. :P

      --
      Trolling is a art,
    6. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by joggle · · Score: 1
      Cruel and unusual punishment is unconstitutional and with very good reason. If you don't know why, think about it a bit and consider the punishments dished out in Britain back in the 18th and 19th century. Also, consider the fact that not everyone sent to prison is in fact guilty of the crime (such as all of those men convicted of rape and years later freed thanks to DNA testing). Prison is supposed to serve two purposes: 1) punishment and 2) reform. It's hard to reform when being tortured.

      Frankly, I wish there wasn't permanent guards at prison (whom will cover for each other). Rather, they should be there on a rotating basis or perhaps require cops in the local area to serve guard duty from time to time as part of their job.

    7. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by loknor · · Score: 1

      Um... Yes prison rape is funny. :)

      Especially funny for nonviolent offenders and white collar criminals. And down right hilarious for wrongly accused little weak people who cannot defend themselves.

      Thinking of you sick to your stomach about how unpalatable prison life can be is also funny. Any other questions?

      --

      me karma am bad
    8. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Malcontent · · Score: 1

      The American Prison system can take any person who is guilty of a minor offense and turning them into hardened criminals.

      --

      War is necrophilia.

    9. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When one chooses an action (criminal activity such as releasing Blaster), one necessarily chooses the potential consequences. Grow up and take some responsibility for your life.

      And actually, while rape is immoral, it is very human. Been on this planet long, have you? Read much history?

      As for cruel and unusual punishment, it is most likely cruel (I cannot judge *all* recipients), but it is not unusual. And as it is not mandated as a sentence by the State, it is not punishment, but assault.

      We have laws against that, true. But that's a separate issue.

    10. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by militantbob · · Score: 1

      Regardless of the fact that his offense was 'non-violent', it was still a property crime. He still contributed to a family of worms that caused data and/or financial loss to innocent victims.

      Smoking a joint is a non-violent victimless crime. It's only a crime in the legal sense, not in the moral sense.

      Writing malicious code *is* morally wrong, in that it deprives others of the rightful fruits of their labors, which amounts to violating their 3rd basic right, the right to the pursuit of happiness. It is commonly understood by Constitutional law types and Libertarians that to pursue 'happiness' is to work to earn or keep a value, and that value is in many cases material, and so a crime against property is on the same level as a crime against an individual's life or liberty/freedom.

      Therefore as he has violated the rights of others, he has diminished his own rights and the protection of them.

      If he is indeed victimized in prison, the person committing the act will have done something horribly wrong - but he himself, having already victimized others, will have little moral grounds on which to erect a legitimate complaint.

      I'm growing tired of the culture of blamelessness and acceptance. Many things that are not crimes are illegal - and many things that are surely criminal in nature, that is, acts that intentionally harm the well-being of others, are overlooked or treated too softly.

      Personal liberty requires personal responsibility and culpability for the outcomes of the choices made under the umbrella of that freedom.

      --
      "The Tree of Liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of Patriots and Tyrants." --Thomas Jefferson
    11. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Prison rape is part of the punishment. DOn't do the crime if you can't toss a salad...

    12. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by ivanmarsh · · Score: 1

      "Cruel and unusual punishment"

      Yes, yes, I know... and not being a complete monster my previous post can be taken with a bit of dark sarcasm.

      I have, since the age of DNA testing, become anti-death penalty myself.

      But I am getting very, very tired of criminals, and I don't mean "I smoked a little weed, or "I accidently ran over someone with my car" criminals, I mean "I raped a thirteen year old girl and chopped her arms off expecting her to die" or "I purposefully and willfully put lives in danger for my own amusement" criminals, being treated with more concern than their victims.

      At what point does a clear and present danger to the constitutional rights of others outweigh the rights of the criminal? I know the constitutional answer is "never" but how can that be considered equitable?

    13. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Check your threshold. If you can't see the relevant comments, his may have been reparented so that it was visible. There's definitely some insensitive commments made.

    14. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Goody · · Score: 1

      He'll go to a minimum security prison where security guards ride around in golf carts and "escapes" consist of someone walking away during lunchtime. The only sodomizing has already occurred -- the countless sysadmins that had to patch machines hastily or disinfect machines got the real screwing.

      --
      Tired of being "punished" by the Slashdot $rtbl since 2002. I'm now over at http://soylentnews.org/ .
    15. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by darkmeridian · · Score: 1

      And racism is funny to you?

      --
      A NYC lawyer blogs. http://www.chuangblog.com/
    16. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Rape is inhuman."

      Sorry, I just have to point out something here. Rape is very human just as murder and theft are human. If it were inhuman, it wouldn't be so common. Immoral, yes. Cruel and unusual punishment for any crime, yes. But inhuman, no.

    17. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Zanthor · · Score: 1

      "large black men"

      Ok, now THAT pisses me off. And I'm a middle class American white boy. Maybe get off yer high horse of stopping prison rape and start worrying about about racism along with it?
      --

      Zanthor

    18. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by kalidasa · · Score: 1

      He's responding to #6822356. But yes, there's a degree of trollishness there.

    19. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by gmr2048 · · Score: 1

      why does it have to be "large black men"? how about helping to stop racism?

      "violently raped repeatedly by multiple large black men while the guards stand by and laugh"

    20. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're quite an asshole. So basically you're saying that getting caught is the main problem. Go ahead and commit your crimes; murder, torture, kidnapping, what have you. Just don't get caught or then you deserve all the punishment anyone can throw at you. And what if the laws just happen to be wrong? I can't believe you'd blindly trust our legal system like that!

    21. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Super, so I guess you agree that we can now get rid of the whole jury system and just let the prisons decide what's punishment is fair, huh? Shouldn't the juries/judges decide on the punishment? Do you think they take prisoner rape into account when they do so?

    22. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, so why is it okay that the "I smoked a little weed" and the "raped a thirteen year old girl" people both get the same prison rape treatment? Let the judicial system drive the punishment, not a bunch of prisoners. People don't trust prisoners, yet they feel that prisoners are trustworthy enough to decide who gets what type of treatment in jail?

    23. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Save your bullshit for Oprah. You want to drive down to the jail and tell the raped prisoner to "appreciate the humor"? Try a test run to the funeral home and make a little fun of the open casket corpse as a start. After all, it's pretty funny how they look with all that make-up on. I wonder why the relatives are so serious and can't find the fun in it...?

    24. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, hilarious. Because all prisoners deserve what they get, huh? The judgement by the courts isn't enough, is it? Regardless of the crime, they should be punished however the other prisoners see fit. Man, I hope you end up in jail for some stupid tax reason and get taught a little life lesson. Now *that* would be funny. More ironic funny than ha-ha funny, but still entertaining.

    25. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ha ha! As long as we're on what's funny, I think taking your mother's entrails and spelling out "I had the guts to do it" with thumb-tacks on the kitchen wall is freaking hysterical. You might not think so, but hey, who gives a shit what you think! What you think or care about doesn't affect how funny it is! ROFL!

    26. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      I agree completely. You go into prison and two things happen:

      * You come out and not want to do any crimes any more, but no one will hire you because you were in prison, or

      * In order to survive in prison you have to become ruthless, get really good at it, and leave prison to perform better crimes.

      Rehabilitation, my ass...

    27. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do they stress this in court then? Isn't that where judgements get handed down? Somehow I don't think the subject comes up.

    28. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Malcontent · · Score: 1

      And in both cases you end up commiting crimes again.

      --

      War is necrophilia.

    29. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you a raving lunatic or something? What the hell did the original poster say about prison rape? Am I missing something here? Oh, and nice crack about "large black men."

      They are just acting out their fantasy in life, to be raped by large black men.

    30. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Flavius+Stilicho · · Score: 1

      I always find it entertaining how our entire prison establishment feels these laws are unimportant... I find it makes me sick to my stomach.

      Breaking and entering, vandalism, trespassing and destruction of private property are all illegal acts that are regularly committed by virus authors.

      Go on back to prison and let those 'large black men' sodomize your racist ass a little more. I think you need some more instruction about respect for other's property.

    31. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by ivanmarsh · · Score: 1

      Bad people doing bad things? You don't say?

      Besides I didn't say "Rape Him" I said "Kill Him" (make him disapear)... speaking to the severity of the crime.

      I didn't say we should do away with juris prudence (sp?) or due process.

    32. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by martyros · · Score: 1
      We will be sure to laugh heartily when you, your brother, father, son, uncle and/or cousins are sentenced to 30 days for some minor offense which they may or may not have committed.

      [nitpick] I'm pretty sure a 30-day sentence will put you in jail, which is a lot different than a long-term prison sentence. I knew a guy who tried to stop some cops who were beating the crap out of his friend (his friend was fighting somebody, so he deserved something; but not what the cops gave him). Anyway, he got 60 days in jail, which meant sitting in a great big room with about 100 other people with nothing to do. [/niptick]

      But you're right, rape is never an acceptable 'punishment', and shouldn't be condoned.

      Out of curiosity, does anyone know the rate of re-conviction of white-collar criminals? I.e., how many stock market scammers or embezzlers or virus-writers are repeat offenders? I'd think for a lot of people, 2-5 years would be enough for a lifetime...

      --

      TCP: Why the Internet is full of SYN.

    33. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Peter+La+Casse · · Score: 1
      Blaster took down transportation systems, among other things, and put many people's lives in danger.

      Rape is the least of what he deserves. Try him as a domestic terrorist under the patriot act an make him disappear.

      Don't you think we should figure out if he's actually guilty first?

    34. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Kibo · · Score: 1

      Really considering the economic damage that crimes like embezzling and worm authoring do, I would definately call that treason. And if they could prove the do'er. Kill'em. I don't care about it as a deterent.

      --
      --Jimmy has fancy plans; and pants to match.
    35. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by GeekedyGeekGeek · · Score: 1

      Uhm, well.. to me the thought of someone who has committed a crime be it violent or merely annoying being violated is truly hilarious and marvelous fun. Truth is, and this from someone who has served time, and no, not in the local county pokey with the drunks, speeders and wife beaters, but in the honest to god big-house (federal pen) The rape thing is really overblown and exaggerated, it rarely happens and then mostly to some real aXXhole. Real life, as should be a general rule we all apply is not like Hollywood and prison is not really much like American Me, it's more like American History X, you do your time, you keep clean and clear of trouble, don't make the wrong people mad and it's more boring than frightening. And to be honest, rape is a hideous crime, the rape of an innocent person is one of the most horrible defilements there is, on the other hand though, the rape of the douche nozzle who screws with my network speed, fills my inbox with penis enlargement ads or sends me viruses.. that's something to put a smile on my face, and I hope it's a dry penetration as well, nothing like a few stitches in the ol' mud whole to keep your mind on the straight and narrow. shrug... lighten up...

    36. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by ivanmarsh · · Score: 1

      Read the rest of the thread dude.
      This was already covered.

    37. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by soft_guy · · Score: 1

      Yeah, just like Mitnik who was in sollitary confinement for almost his whole stay.

      Give me a break.

      --
      Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
    38. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Dread_ed · · Score: 1

      Hey, some of have had a really hard time getting laid over the years.

      It can be really discouraging. Sometimes people get desperate.

      As a last resort we can always commit some white collar computer crime and get buttslammed with impunity for two to ten.

      It may not be pretty, but it's all some of us have to look forward to.

      --
      When the only tool you have is a claw hammer every problem starts to look like the back of someone's skull.
    39. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by RedBear · · Score: 1

      I was replying not directly to the original poster but to the HANDFUL of his respondents who were all spewing the same stupid rape joke and were ALL getting +5, Funny. That just took me over the edge, that joking about his little white ass no longer being a virgin seemed to be a guarantee of excellent karma from the moderators.

      Oh, and the vast majority of violent criminals in our prison system seem to be black males, who are often large. The small ones are watching out for their own asses. Thus if you are to be raped in prison, it is quite likely that it will be one or more large black men who will be doing the raping. Who is it that everyone jokes about? That's right, Bubba, the large black man. A stereotype, yes, but most stereotypes do have some basis in fact. Nothing racist about it, just statistics. Everyone else seems to think the Bubba joke is damned funny, for some reason.

      A "well disguised troll". I like that. That means a troll that says something worthwhile but says it in a way you don't like? Thanks, I'll try to keep up the good work.

    40. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by RedBear · · Score: 1
      he himself, having already victimized others, will have little moral grounds on which to erect a legitimate complaint.

      I'm sure glad our legal system doesn't operate according to your individual definition of morality. Then again, it might as well, seeing how much is done about illegal prisoner rape when it's reported. What I especially enjoy is when the warden and/or guards, who have your wonderful outlook on things, stick the rapee who complains *back* into the cell with the original rapist, or a new one, so it can happen again. That keeps the complaint rate nice and low.

      And what if the guy wrote some experimental code that just happened to do something bad, and someone else took it and released it? You sound like one of those people who would still want the writer to go to prison, because writing "bad" code is "immoral", and immoral==illegal.

      If it's A-OK to rape this person, is it also OK to shoot him, for his immoral crimes against humanity? Is it OK to castrate him? How about we gouge out his eyes? Would that satisfy your sense of morality?

      People like you scare the living crap out of me. But I'm glad I live in a country where you have just as much protection under the law as I do, and vice versa. I hope some day you will appreciate it as much as I do. Have a nice day.
    41. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by RedBear · · Score: 1

      You mean like the minimum security prison that Kevin Mitnick was supposed to go to?

      Hackers aren't treated like accountants, my friend. They are treated like witches/warlocks. We're lucky they don't allow burning people at the stake anymore. Wake up.

    42. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by militantbob · · Score: 1

      I never said that it was ok to attack him or rape him in prison - I simply meant to state that I would have little or no sympathy for the malicious ignorant bastard. If he had no respect for the rights and properties of others... why should we concern ourselves with his well-being?

      As for Libertarians... well, I'm not a middle-of-the-road type. "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" and all that - so what is 'happiness'? Happiness is the general feeling of well-being associated with the knowledge that you are secure in your possessions and your person and your fundamental rights. When someone else forcibly removes the product of your labors, your effort to apprehend happiness in a material form has been retarded. Much like the people who can't seem to understand that property crime is every bit as bad as life and liberty crime.

      --
      "The Tree of Liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of Patriots and Tyrants." --Thomas Jefferson
    43. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by RedBear · · Score: 1

      Sooo, if I read you and everyone else like you correctly, the proper response for someone raping *you* in prison, would be to have a virus writer mess with *his* network. All things being equal. That sound good? We'll call you guys even when his network has been down for about three days.

      I'm sure that will put a smile on your face and joy in your heart.

    44. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by erikogre · · Score: 1

      I never said that it was ok to attack him or rape him in prison - I simply meant to state that I would have little or no sympathy for the malicious ignorant bastard. If he had no respect for the rights and properties of others... why should we concern ourselves with his well-being?

      Because to ignore prison rape when we all know it's going on *is* to sanction it. And to sanction it is ignorant and malicious.

      When someone else forcibly removes the product of your labors, your effort to apprehend happiness in a material form has been retarded. Much like the people who can't seem to understand that property crime is every bit as bad as life and liberty crime.

      When someone forcibly removes your life or liberty, your ability to apprehend happiness is rendered nil, or close to it. Much like the IQ of anyone who doesn't understand that murder is worse than theft when it comes to depriving someone of happiness (and the ability to pursue the same).

    45. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by militantbob · · Score: 1

      The prison officials should be concerned with this. Not the general public who were harmed by the malicious coder's actions.

      Yes, life and liberty are higher on the scale - but property crime *is on that same scale*. A lower degree of wrongness does not nullify the fact that it was in fact wrong, and that innocent people were deprived of *their* data, bandwidth, money, and freedom to make use of their own equipment and resources. I have almost no tolerance or patience for those who do not respect the equal rights of others.

      --
      "The Tree of Liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of Patriots and Tyrants." --Thomas Jefferson
    46. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ha ha, yes, it is quite amusing to be sent to prison for a nonviolent offense (typing on a keyboard, for instance) and subsequently violently raped repeatedly by multiple large black men while the guards stand by and laugh and the prison wardens make no effort to keep it from happening.

      Whereas, if the sentiment of the board after Blaster hit is any indication, he should be 'bound, gagged, strangled, and stomped by a fellow inmate'.

      Go Lynch Mob. Woo.

    47. Re:Prisoner rape is funny, ha ha by claar · · Score: 1

      It's also heartening to see every prison rape joke getting a +5, Funny. Thank you, moderators. Great way to get karma. Keep up the good work.

      FYI, at least you don't get karma for "Funny" moderations.

      --
      I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous...
  144. He wasn't the Blaster coder by Zog+The+Undeniable · · Score: 1
    RTFA and you'll see his worm was just a modification of the original Blaster. He sounds like a script kiddie because he didn't actually change much.

    Of course, this means the suspect won't be able to tell us who San is and why she is so deserving of his affections. Shame.

    --
    When I am king, you will be first against the wall.
  145. Re:I doubt it. ROFL by ZiL1 · · Score: 1

    SCO curently owns all hackers intelectual property.. They will discuss what IP in a secret facility filled with FBI agents after you sing a NDA.

  146. But does anyone think of San? by Snarfangel · · Score: 1, Funny

    No one thinks of the poor girl the worm was dedicated to. The guy will probably forget all about her in prison, and may even write a "LoveBrunoMyCellmate" worm to keep himself occupied.

    --
    This tagline is copyrighted material. Please send $10 for an affordable replacement.
  147. The original writer is... by sammaffei · · Score: 1

    Professor Falken.

    The 18 year old is from Seattle, WA and his name is David Lightman!

    The Blaster worm's original name was Joshua.

    --

    Political correctness is the newest form of slavery.

  148. Re:Prison and Justice system corrupted by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "since it contradicts itself numerous times."

    Actually, it doesn't.

  149. MS/Terrorism/18yrold? by Loconut1389 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I love how microsoft said this was too organized to be just anybody, it had to be terrorism and it turns out to be some 18 year old. I figured it was a 12 year old or something, or maybe a monkey. Its wonderful (sarcastic) that thats all it takes to bring the internet to its knees due to sloppy coding from MS.

  150. fair play to him by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Any method to pull windows pants down should be supported - virus or otherwise. Are all /.'ers winders lusers?

  151. I'll get the rope... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Whatever happened to being innocent until proven guilty? Shouldn't the headline read "Blaster Suspect Caught?" Or can we now assume that the police are infallible, that they never arrest the wrong person, and that we can just throw away the judicial system entirely.

  152. More info by GyroTech · · Score: 3, Informative

    A quick snippit of info over at The Register seems to hint that the kid did in fact write Blaster-B, not the patching varient (does anyone remeber CodeGreen after CodeRed??).
    Seems that he was 'under surveillance', was caught testing the varient, and is going to be charged with writing the varient.

  153. What to do with this kid? by Capt_Troy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So what do we do with this stupid kid? In an age when dorking around on your computer can cause millions of dollars in lost revenue (albiet, you probably know if you're about to release a worm), these things are going to happen more and more often.

    1) Does this kid need to learn his lession in jail?
    No, This kid is young. He's stupid. I'm sure he didn't do this realizing that he'd be headed to jail in a few months (if proven guilty). But what do you do with someone who's broken the law like this? Send him to Microsoft to learn how to fix bugs and become a programmer? Take him to the programmer who was responsible for the bug and tell them that this 18 year old kid made him look like a dumbass? Who knows?

    2) Does Microsoft need to fix their insecurities?
    This is as much MS's fault as it is anyone elses. I mean, if I bought a car (I hate to bring the whole car analogy thing up again) and someone came along and leaned up on it wrong and it stopped working. I'd be pissed at the manufacturer, not so much the leaner (who is laying on the ground with a bloody nose by now).

    Just some thoughts.
    T.

    1. Re:What to do with this kid? by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 1

      1) Does this kid need to learn his lession in jail?
      No, This kid is young. He's stupid.


      I disagree. He does need to go to jail, if found guilty. Penalties for a crime are not only punishment for the convicted, but hopefully a deterrent to future potential criminals.

      I'm sure he didn't do this realizing that he'd be headed to jail in a few months (if proven guilty).

      So he's been living in a cave? (well...maybe his parents basement). With all the publicity going around, and a couple of high profile cases caught and jailed...I'm sure he knew. Probably just so arrogant that he thought he'd never be caught.

      someone came along and leaned up on it wrong and it stopped working. I'd be pissed at the manufacturer, not so much the leaner (who is laying on the ground with a bloody nose by now).

      Evidently you do advocate some punishment for the 'leaner/virus writer'.

    2. Re:What to do with this kid? by Capt_Troy · · Score: 1

      Evidently you do advocate some punishment for the 'leaner/virus writer'.

      ahh, not really. I advocate some masculine humor in postings though :-)

    3. Re:What to do with this kid? by DataCannibal · · Score: 1

      A Stoning! A Stoning !

      --
      No but, yeah but, no but...
    4. Re:What to do with this kid? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The kid needs to go to jail. I guess if you leave your car unlocked in you own driveway and some punk steals it then you would say "Well it's my fault. Leave the kid alone."

    5. Re:What to do with this kid? by JarJarlicious · · Score: 1
      This is as much MS's fault as it is anyone elses. I mean, if I bought a car (I hate to bring the whole car analogy thing up again) and someone came along and leaned up on it wrong and it stopped working. I'd be pissed at the manufacturer, not so much the leaner (who is laying on the ground with a bloody nose by now).

      You've got to be kidding, unless you really believe the kid didn't know what he did was going to cause harm. Since he was modifying an existing worm, I find that hard to believe.

      There's a difference between an accident and vandalism, and this was no accident.

    6. Re:What to do with this kid? by Bios_Hakr · · Score: 1

      >came along and leaned up on it wrong and it stopped working

      If I packaged shugar in a gasoline can and you put it in your tank, is the car maker at fault?

      If I reccomend that you check the tires once a week and you ignore that suggestion, am I at fault for your blowout?

      If you refse to clean your windows and you get into a collision because of reduced visibility, can the glass be considered insecure or not robust enough for heavy driving?

      --
      I'd rather you do it wrong, than for me to have to do it at all.
    7. Re:What to do with this kid? by Alomex · · Score: 1

      1) Does this kid need to learn his lession in jail?
      No, This kid is young.


      No, he needs to have some time out in his room (20 minutes max) after which his mother should compliment him about how quiet he was during the time he spent there.

      Then his father needs to hug him to reinforce the message that it was his actions that were bad, and it is not that he is bad personally....

      I'm sure that will teach him not to do it again.

    8. Re:What to do with this kid? by Capt_Troy · · Score: 1

      If I packaged shugar in a gasoline can and you put it in your tank, is the car maker at fault?

      I wouldn't expect the car to withstand the vandalism that you are talking about, however if you brushed up against it, I would expect that it would be durable enough to keep working.

      If I reccomend that you check the tires once a week and you ignore that suggestion, am I at fault for your blowout?

      If you refse to clean your windows and you get into a collision because of reduced visibility, can the glass be considered insecure or not robust enough for heavy driving?


      I said nothing about lack of normal preventative maintenance leading to a problem with the car.

      I suppose the use of anology is the wrong approach for describing something to you. Perhaps you pass sixth grade english and then re-read my previous comment. You won't get a passing grade on the ACT with reading comprehension skills like that.

    9. Re:What to do with this kid? by Capt_Troy · · Score: 1

      Thanks for posting my comment out of context. I suppose you think the right punishment is to put him in prison and let child molestors gang bang him in the shower as he reaches for the soap? He's a young kid, he has a lot to learn, and he's not going to learn it in prision.

      Yes he should be punished. How? I have no idea. I was asking for ideas and all I get is this pedantic sarcasm.

    10. Re:What to do with this kid? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This whole post is just typical barbs and whines against MS. *yawn*

    11. Re:What to do with this kid? by Capt_Troy · · Score: 1

      Is it? It has something to do with the kid as well. I suppose you think MS should not be compelled to write safer software? *yawn*

    12. Re:What to do with this kid? by Alomex · · Score: 1


      Prison (supposedly) has two purposes (1) to teach the criminal not to do it again and (2) to deter those thinking about doing it from doing it again.

      Most prisons have failed at (1), gang rape or not. All we are left is (2), so he should get to spend a few years in jail....

    13. Re:What to do with this kid? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think he did read your post and the point you're trying to make is seriously undermined by suggesting the responder has poor English skills. So, engage in the discussion and answer his point -- MS did write code that had a security flaw; however, they issued a patch.

      Leaning against a car and releasing a worm modified with a trojan horse are not really analagous situations. If you modify a worm to add a trojan horse, you aren't doing it because you assume nothing bad will happen. If I lean against a car, I do assume nothing bad will happen.

      Are you seriously suggesting that these are the same?

    14. Re:What to do with this kid? by raider_red · · Score: 1

      You're right, he should not serve jail time. He should be shipped to Singapore so that he can be properly cained. I think one lash per infected computer would be appropriate.

      --
      It's good to use your head, but not as a battering ram.
    15. Re:What to do with this kid? by zettabyte · · Score: 1

      I had to follow this all the way down, but you hit on the point I was going to make. His analogy was not a fair one.

      Going back the other way, leaning on a car and breaking it is more like sending an email and busting the server.

    16. Re:What to do with this kid? by SpacePunk · · Score: 1

      He's 18 fucking years old. He's an adult, he's not a kid, and he should know better by now. He evidently doesn't know better by now, and is therefore defective and should be locked up.

  154. MOD PARENT UP by emilng · · Score: 1

    Slashdot geeks mature? Perish the thought!

  155. Plural of virus... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    ...is "viruses".

    See Dictionary.com:

    http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=virus

    Get it straight before all your boxen belongs to bad grammer [sic].

    1. Re:Plural of virus... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      STFU n00bii. Its' viri1i and j00 n0z3 it!!1

  156. Vote on it! by waynelorentz · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The Houston Chronicle version of the story allows you to vote on who's to blame:
    Microsoft, The virus writers, or people who click on attachments.

    Come on you anti-MS-types, get clicking!

    1. Re:Vote on it! by Che+Geuvarra · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The funny thing about the poll is that most of the uneducated feel that it is the virus writer who is the biggest threat. While I agree to that to a certain degree, one cannot not exploit a flawed system. If Microsoft made a decent operating system withough gaping security holes then the virus would have had limited capability. Also If scanning software did not pick it up the they share a bit of blame themselves. And anyon ignorant enough to ignore news, thier IT support staff( of which I am one) then it is primarily thier fault. The thing is we shgould pay the kid for exposing a major flaw in the OS that could be exploited by anyone and since many government agencies run on Windows systems that is extremely dangerous. Say what you want, The kid did people a favour by exposing microsoft for what it is a flawed system, designed to be that way for monetary gain. Che

      --
      -For it is the very essence of imperialism to turn information systems into wild, bloodthirsty animals-
    2. Re:Vote on it! by NeoNormal · · Score: 1

      Did you notice that the poll was for the "Sobig Worm"? This in an article about the Blaster (and variants) that does not mention Sobig at all. Clueful staff they have.

  157. Send him to by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Federal-Pound-Me-in-the-Ass-Prison

    1. Re:Send him to by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I guess the "white-collar-resort prison" wasn't good enough for him. "You are a VERY BAD PERSON!!!"

    2. Re:Send him to by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That movie rocked, BTW.

  158. Re:If by mcb · · Score: 1

    right hand, probably.

  159. Obligatory random SCO quote... by Overly+Critical+Guy · · Score: 1

    ...and the mods fell for it.

    Someone randomly mentions SCO in literally every single article. It's not funny or clever to just say "And in other news, SCO will sue them for using their code!" This exact same joke has been used in every article every day. Why does it keep getting modded up?

    --
    "Sufferin' succotash."
    1. Re:Obligatory random SCO quote... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      heh along w/ the "you must be new to slashdot" retorts.

    2. Re:Obligatory random SCO quote... by mrseigen · · Score: 1

      You're new around here, aren't you?

  160. With her, it isn't cooties I'm worried about. by VT_hawkeye · · Score: 1

    There are a lot worse bugs out there.

    Stay away from that particular poontang -- you don't know where it's been, and what I have heard scares me.

  161. you are clueless or evil. by twitter · · Score: 0, Troll
    Exemplery justice is not justice. It would be wrong for this script kiddie to pay for things he did not do, just to scare others. It's immoral and it won't work. There are many variants of MSBLASTER and many authors for each. It would be wrong to make him pay for all the damage done by it, but dumb fucks like you would like to see him fry for all the damage ever done by any virus. At this point, it's doubtful he did anything at all but test the damn thing out and even that is shaky. Even if he did write a varient, proving the damage will be impossible. Yet he will feel the weight of thousands of clueless Big_Dumb_Company_M$_Admins who have had their reputations rightly tarnished for using Microsoft crap again and again. The FBI needs to look like it's doing something to please them and you.

    The real bag guys in this whole thing are the ones with all the money in Redmond. It's their crap that's broken by design. The worst thing that can be said about the script kiddie at this point is that someone said he played with a varient of a nasty M$ virus. That's weak, but he's going to pay for it.

    It all reeks of cluelessness, failure of design and scape-goating. Why can't the FBI use it's new USA ACT or Patriot ACT powers to catch the real authors?

    The only lesson I've learned one I've learned many times long ago: Microsoft is terminally broken and it's a bad idea to have anything at all to do with it.

    --

    Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.

    1. Re:you are clueless or evil. by jamezw · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The logic here is unbelieveable. So if you forget to lock a window in your home, and a burglar comes in and steals your stuff, and the burglar gets caught, YOU should be prosecuted for burglary for leaving the window open?

      Yeah, some might say YOU should be more careful for not locking the window... but the REAL criminal still is the burglar that took your stuff! M$ has some serious problems, but that doesn't mean we should lose all of our common sense JUST to attack them some more.

      Does M$ software have security issues? Yeah. Should script kiddies be let off easy because they take advantage of these problems? No. They are no better than the burglar that entered your unlocked window!

      We need to start making people take responsibility for their own ACTIONS and quit blaming others. It's like blaming a door-lock manufacturer because someone can pick the lock! There will always be people that take UNLAWFUL advantage of real or perceived situations. That doesn't mean they are any less to blame for their actions.

      --
      -=-jw-=-
    2. Re:you are clueless or evil. by BrokenHalo · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Exemplery[sic] justice is not justice

      No. There's another word for it: lynching.

    3. Re:you are clueless or evil. by ipxodi · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The real bag guys in this whole thing are the ones with all the money in Redmond. It's their crap that's broken by design.

      What a moronic statement - spoken like a true 14 year old.. If someone is driving a Corvette at 120 mph in downtown NYC and kills a pedestrian, is it Chevy's fault for making a car that goes that fast? Of course not.
      Granted MS could do a better job of securing their OS's. But just because you CAN write a virus doesn't mean you SHOULD. There's some personal responsibility that we all need to take.

      --
      load "windows7" ,8,1
    4. Re:you are clueless or evil. by vandegraff · · Score: 1

      Right on!!

      --
      Confucius say: I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.
    5. Re:you are clueless or evil. by knghtrider · · Score: 1, Insightful

      There's some personal responsibility that we all need to take.

      Watch out, ipxoidi, you're going to get yourself in trouble for saying that. Psychobabble says that our 'environment' is responsible for our behavior, not our own hearts. To suggest that virus writers WANT to write them is tantamount to slander, and could set you up for huge lawsuit. (Note: Tongue firmly planted in cheek)

      In all seriousness, yes the problem was with Microsoft software, but in reality the patches were available almost full month before the blaster worm was released. As a result, those corporations who had not patched their systems (and blocked the relative ports at the firewalls) should share a LARGE chunk of the blame, but the ultimate blame rests on those who exploited the vulnerabilty, regardless of their motivation. Just because the door is open, doesn't give you the right to come in.

      I'm not a coder, so I may be sticking my neck out on a limb here, but how many University programs teach responsible (read: secure) coding? I know many, many tomes have been written on the subject, but is it really TAUGHT at the University level, where the majority of the corporate coders come from? If the mentality were in place, do you think we would have as many vulnerabilities in any software used/sold? I, for one, would like to think that we would not.

      An even bigger culprit is the 'point and click' mentality that has developed from overuse of GUI. This is fostered in the workplace by the lack of training given to end users because XYZ Corp only has 4 IT guys to support 10,000 users. Hyperbole, and I know it, but intentional use to point out the simple fact that in most companies, GUI=Easy, hence Dick and Jane don't need to be trained.

      I have been a consultant in places where the CEO doesn't use a computer because he doesn't understand them. Instead, his AA prints out relative e-mails, the CEO reads and write responses, which the AA puts back into e-mail. Consequently, the use of computers internally was limited to managers, while the workers used pencil and paper. Can you imagine an entire accounting department using pencil and paper? 30 people? The data was then chunked back into spreadsheets by 5 AA's and those spreadsheets reviewed by a Chief Accountant who put the data into the financial software. CSR's used pencil and paper and actual BOOKS to read the problem response out of. The had a complicated numerical system to refer to problems, the CSR's made checkmarks by the appropriate column, tallied them at the end of the workday, and 4 AA's put this data in a Spreadsheet for the CSR Manager to review.

      Sure, their computer costs were reduced--the network only had 25 PC's on it, they were running NetWare 3.22, so it was a very stable network; I only visted them to install Novell updates and fix printers (install toner cartridges mostly) and computers. E-mail was handled via Eudora--they used POP mailboxes hosted at an ISP. Did I also mention this was a Fortune 500 company that spun off of a Fortune 100 Company? Did I also mention that it spiraled downward to bankruptcy, was purchased cheap by some investors who sold the parts for more than they bought it for (like an old Buick)?

      My point is this. It is the *perception* that learning computers is hard for the average Dick and Jane that should be fought. Unfortunately, this is a difficult mentality to combat, especially where 'Dick and Jane' are much older and never had computers when they first started working for company X. Granted, using an efficient and effective patch update system on Corporate Networks would be a boon--and to be fair, many companies do this. But, more do not, so we end up with a hodge-podge of patched systems and have problems when a vulnerability is exploited.

      Vulnerability exploiters *should* be punished, regardless of whether they are the first, or thirty-first exploiter. I do not believe for a minute in the facts as presented by another poster that 'deterrence' is a distant reason for puni

      --
      In America today you can murder land for private profit. You can leave the corpse for all to see, and nobody calls the c
    6. Re:you are clueless or evil. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The logic here is unbelieveable. So if you forget to lock a window in your home, and a burglar comes in and steals your stuff, and the burglar gets caught, YOU should be prosecuted for burglary for leaving the window open?


      The responsibility for leaving the window open is mine.

      The responsibility for coming in and stealing my stuff is the burglars.

      Understand?

    7. Re:you are clueless or evil. by rifter · · Score: 1

      The logic here is unbelieveable. So if you forget to lock a window in your home, and a burglar comes in and steals your stuff, and the burglar gets caught, YOU should be prosecuted for burglary for leaving the window open?

      No, but if the guy who built my house put little windows all over it that only burglars know about, and made sure the ones I do know about are broken such that they are difficult/impossible to keep closed, I would be pretty upset with him, wouldn't you?

      We need to start making people take responsibility for their own ACTIONS and quit blaming others. It's like blaming a door-lock manufacturer because someone can pick the lock! There will always be people that take UNLAWFUL advantage of real or perceived situations. That doesn't mean they are any less to blame for their actions.

      This door lock manufacturer has designed his door locks specifically to be easily picked on purpose. That is the difference here. Virus writers are wrong, but Microsoft wants a caning as well.

    8. Re:you are clueless or evil. by rifter · · Score: 1

      In all seriousness, yes the problem was with Microsoft software, but in reality the patches were available almost full month before the blaster worm was released. As a result, those corporations who had not patched their systems (and blocked the relative ports at the firewalls) should share a LARGE chunk of the blame, but the ultimate blame rests on those who exploited the vulnerabilty, regardless of their motivation. Just because the door is open, doesn't give you the right to come in.

      People keep saying that, but the fact of the matter is that the patches that were available a month before did not protect people from some of the worm variants. Microsoft has been patching RPC all year and has still not gotten it right. In the heat the worm infestations (about a week's time) they released four or more patches for these vulnerabilities. Clearly the worm writers kept finding bugs in Microsoft's cruft.

      It does not make sense to me that Windows needs an RPC service and won't let you turn it off, anyway. It is ridiculous and an inherent security flaw from the beginning. Likewise their "encryption" that is crackable in 13 seconds for passwords. This of course was supposed to be better than their previous model of sending passwords over the net for no good reason in plaintext. Great.

      It does no good to lambast admins by saying "patches were out months ago" when the patches either broke things, did not protect from the $famous_worm_du_jour, or both for good measure, which has been the case with every worm lately.

    9. Re:you are clueless or evil. by cbiltcliffe · · Score: 0

      If someone is driving a Corvette at 120 mph in downtown NYC and kills a pedestrian, is it Chevy's fault for making a car that goes that fast? Of course not.

      No, but let's put it this way. Let's say Chevy makes a car that they know the wheels are going to fall off if it gets over 30 mph, but they don't tell anyone. The only thing they do about it is put a message on an obscure part of their website saying "Go back to the dealer and get your wheels fixed".
      Somebody's driving along at 35 mph, all the wheels fall off and they spin out of control into a crowd of pedestrians, killing some, and injuring many.
      This happens to all Chevy owners, except those 20% or so that happened to be in the dealership for an oil change sometime in the month before the cars started falling apart.

      Whose fault is it then? The drivers of the cars? No. Chevy knowingly sold a defective product that killed and injured thousands of people. They're the guilty ones.
      This is exactly what Microsoft does. They distribute a known defective product, that causes problems and financial losses for millions of customers, but because of a shifty, carefully worded EULA, they get away with it. They never tell anyone about Windows Update, so unless you're in the IT field, you don't know to run it. When's the last time you installed Windows XP home and it said to run Windows Update for security reasons on a regular basis? It doesn't. No version of Windows ever has. They stick the EULA up every chance they get, so you know damn sure what you're not allowed to do, but absolutely nothing about security updates.
      If any company offered a product for $200 or more that had no warranty, and said in the instructions that it wasn't guaranteed to be fit for anything at all, there'd be hell to pay, and plenty of class action lawsuits. Why doesn't this apply to MS, or plenty of other software companies, for that matter?

      --
      "City hall" in German is "Rathaus" Kinda explains a few things......
    10. Re:you are clueless or evil. by Zerbey · · Score: 1

      The logic here is unbelieveable. So if you forget to lock a window in your home, and a burglar comes in and steals your stuff, and the burglar gets caught, YOU should be prosecuted for burglary for leaving the window open?

      Nope, but if he cuts his fingers on the window in the process you could get prosecuted. Isn't the law great?

    11. Re:you are clueless or evil. by wumpus188 · · Score: 1

      So if you forget to lock a window in your home, and a burglar comes in and steals your stuff, and the burglar gets caught, YOU should be prosecuted for burglary for leaving the window open? Yes. If YOU forget to lock windows in YOUR house, YOU will be guilty.
      That's why you're locking your windows in the first place, right?

    12. Re:you are clueless or evil. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, the window/burgler analogy really falls down here... Microsoft has a responsibility that goes beyond what the lock maker has, because in the computer world, one "lockpick" can be copied a zillion times.

      You might say, well that's the nature of computers, but there's software like qmail and OpenBSD which have less holes than average, so why can't Microsoft use the same techniques?

      Microsoft has a huge responsibility to the entire WORLD in this regard. I mean, think about it, it's so *EASY* for kids like this (and whoever wrote the original worm). Do we really expect the law to be any kind of deterrent?

      So they put this kid in jail. Big fucking deal. I still have to clean up a lot of shit, and I will again in a few months, and again, and again.

      They could execute the guy on network TV and it still doesn't fix microsoft's problems. I blame them first, the sloppy admins second, people who use Microsoft blindly third, and the virus writers last.

      It simply shouldn't be POSSIBLE for an 18-year old to cause havoc like this.

    13. Re:you are clueless or evil. by steve802 · · Score: 1

      >>The real bag guys in this whole thing are the ones with all the money in Redmond. It's their crap that's broken by design.

      This is like saying, to use the red-light example, that because barriers are not thrown up when there is a red light, that red-light-runners should not be liable for running the red lights.

      Is it bad that MS stuff is "broken by design?" Sure, that's a bad thing. But is it then necessary that virus writers exploit the shortcomings to inconvenience every user of said software? No, it absolutely is not. It would be better for those writers to devote their talents (I use the word with some reticence) to coming up with solutions or protections, not exploits.

      If this person is responsible for the original virus or any iteration thereof, he should have been willing accept the consequences of unleashing it (and every virus writer knows that what he is doing is illegal and prosecutable). Perhaps by catching this guy, they can get closer to the original authors, and arrest them as well. Not instead of ... as well. All of them are the bottom of the engineering barrel.

    14. Re:you are clueless or evil. by MSG · · Score: 1

      So if you forget to lock a window in your home, and a burglar comes in and steals your stuff, and the burglar gets caught, YOU should be prosecuted for burglary for leaving the window open?

      I don't see how that relates in any way to what the parent post said, but as long as you're making stupid analogies:

      In the real world, negligence is frequently the cause of legal action. If you leave your windows unlocked and a burglar comes into your home and finds a loaded gun which he then uses to kill others, you might be liable. Your property/equipment was used without your permission to attack others, just as in a worm exploiting your computer and using its resources to spread further.

      Who's guilty of negligence? You are, for one. You didn't use any firewall. You didn't keep your patches up. You didn't lock your doors and windows. Microsoft is too, I'd imagine. They did not take sufficient measures to insure that their customers knew how to lock their windows and doors, or even that they should. Unfortunately, at this point, Microsoft is fucked. Their customers hate and mistrust them so much that most of them aren't willing to communicate with Microsoft enough to actually get the advisories and instructions.

      A lot of cultural changes are needed to fix this situation, which I think gets overlooked when people talk about the technological changes needed to fix these problems.

    15. Re:you are clueless or evil. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Any finite system will have "holes", or unintended also true statements. You're expectations of Microsoft fly in the face of our conventional expectations about the universe. Could they make it more secure, yes, that can always be done, but a system can never be absolutely hole free, or secure. And Microsoft is further bound by the desires and expectations of their customers (developers and end users) to provide a large degree of backward compatability. Something smaller companies, like apple, aren't as constrained by.

      You can bet that Microsoft probably wishes different choices were made. And I'm sure that thousands of Microsoft employees curses the choices that were made daily. Choices that were made against the constraints of the time they were made in.

      And the "encryption" you're talking about is either the reversible encryption, or the old "home" computer versions deployed in small workgroups. In which case let me say, "I've also noticed the unsuitability of screw drivers for pounding nails."

    16. Re:you are clueless or evil. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dear sir,

      I appreciate how you went through the trouble of spelling Microsoft as MS instead of M$. It makes your argument that much more convincing.

    17. Re:you are clueless or evil. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Psychobabble says that our 'environment' is responsible for our behavior, not our own hearts

      Your environment is to a large extent going to shape the person that you are. Your own heart is responsible for your behavior but what that heart feels is right/wrong is largly determined by it's environment. I do not see how you could argue otherwise! A kid growing up in Patpong Thailand might become a prostitute, if she grew up in Salt Lake City she probably would not become a prostitute. Environment is most certainly responsible for our behavior.

    18. Re:you are clueless or evil. by rifter · · Score: 1


      You can bet that Microsoft probably wishes different choices were made. And I'm sure that thousands of Microsoft employees curses the choices that were made daily. Choices that were made against the constraints of the time they were made in.

      And the "encryption" you're talking about is either the reversible encryption, or the old "home" computer versions deployed in small workgroups. In which case let me say, "I've also noticed the unsuitability of screw drivers for pounding nails."

      But the difference here is that Windows is designed to be insecure. No matter how hard you try, any system will have bugs, because it is designed by humans. But Microsoft has deliberately added "features" to their operating system and made design decisions whihc make it insecure and unstable. They aren't even trying, either because they don't feel that they have to compete, or because they do not care.

      The encryption I am talking about is the password encryption for NT and Windows 2000. Firstly, it is weak and recently has proven trivial to crack. Secondly there is the matter of NT sending passwords over the wire to connect to smb file shares, which initially were plaintext, and later were encrypted using this sad encryption in SP4 or so (even then it was possible to turn the encryption off and many did).

      You are right about screws being unsuitable for use as nails nails, but then Microsoft products are likewise unsuitable for use in enterprise environments or anywhere that security is even vaguely important.

    19. Re:you are clueless or evil. by buck_wild · · Score: 1

      Um, no. What crime would I be guilty of, exactly?

      Theft? No
      Negligence? No.

      Then what crime?

      --
      If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
    20. Re:you are clueless or evil. by buck_wild · · Score: 1

      "It simply shouldn't be POSSIBLE for an 18-year old to cause havoc like this."

      Really not plausible. 18-year-olds drive. They work in restaurants. They work in crowded movie theaters and ballparks. Lots have access to the internet. Some of them may have access to chemicals. Others may have access to water supplys or power plants.

      So do you recomend that everyone under, say, 21 be placed under house arrest?

      --
      If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
    21. Re:you are clueless or evil. by buck_wild · · Score: 1

      No, no, no. I can leave my front door wide open, and because the law says that my property is private you'd be guilty of tresspassing at the very least. Anything you do on my private property without my express permission is YOUR fault, unless I have an 'attractive nuisance' like a swimming pool.

      How is a server not private property?

      And I dare you to prove that a gun or unpatched server is an attractive nuisance.

      --
      If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
    22. Re:you are clueless or evil. by Turadg · · Score: 1

      No, a better analogy is that you're renting (licensing) an apartment (operating system). You've noticed that whenever you open a window it creaks open again (security hole) and reported it to your landlord (Microsoft). He says he'll fix it, but in the meantime everyone in the neighborhood is talking about how your windows won't shut. You nail boards over some (firewalls) but you can't live in the apartment without some windows (services). Someone breaks in and steals your CDs.

      While the burglar obviously committed a crime, it was enabled your landlord. He's guilty of negligence, which is prosecutable. It probably depends on the city, but I'm sure that in many places the landlord would be partly financially responsible. Why not Microsoft?

      (Mind you, I'm not saying that any of this excuses the burglar.)

    23. Re:you are clueless or evil. by knghtrider · · Score: 1

      Psychobabble again. Plenty of individuals overcome what their environment should make them become.

      As the Eagles song says:

      You're mamma's too thin and your daddy's too fat. Get Over It. All this whinin', cryin', pitchin' a bitch, Get Over It...

      --
      In America today you can murder land for private profit. You can leave the corpse for all to see, and nobody calls the c
    24. Re:you are clueless or evil. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it's not "msblaster", it's "blaster".

    25. Re:you are clueless or evil. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The logic here is unbelieveable. So if you forget to lock a window in your home, and a burglar comes in and steals your stuff, and the burglar gets caught, YOU should be prosecuted for burglary for leaving the window open?

      No, it just makes you a dumbass. You and you alone are responsible for your possessions (and protection thereof.)

  162. Picking nits. What study? by joebagodonuts · · Score: 1

    "Study after study after study have shown this to be the absolute truth."

    I agree with point of your post, but ambiguity bugs me.

    Do you have 1 specific example? Something along the lines of "Study #1756 at New York University..."

    --
    "Give a woman two glasses of wine and some pad thai, and they'll agree to just about anything." the Sports Guy
    1. Re:Picking nits. What study? by Bluetrust25 · · Score: 1
      "Study after study after study have shown this to be the absolute truth."

      I agree with point of your post, but ambiguity bugs me.

      Do you have 1 specific example? Something along the lines of "Study #1756 at New York University..."


      I agree. He certainly should have just left that part out if he didn't have the name of a single study on hand.

      You know, I'm the owner of a Market Research company. If someone came to me and said, "We want you to craft a research study measuring whether a show of active law enforcement in a society is correlated with a reduction in crime," why, I wouldn't even know where to start. It would have to be a massive, massive study, and I really doubt that any do exist on this topic. It's just too broad, with too many variables.

      (Of course, my specialty is the technology behind Market Research, not the crafting of questionnaires.)
    2. Re:Picking nits. What study? by C10H14N2 · · Score: 1

      Part of market research technology is using existing research, which on the subject of 'examplary punishment' is quite voluminous. Go to any of the assorted death penalty opposition organizations or your local university social sciences department and you will no doubt find more research studies showing that niether imprisonment nor death serve as deterrents for much of anything in terms of quantifiable effects.

      By example, it is truly common knowledge that the United States has the highest prison population in the entire world, currently over two million (see Human Rights Watch). Here in the District of Columbia, we have an incarceration rate of over 1600 per 100,000, which is nearly TRIPLE that of Russia, yet DC still has almost double the national crime rate (see FBI Uniform Crime Reports). Mother Jones has a wonderful spread on incarceration rates, which if you combine with the FBI UCRs, you can approximate the success of exemplary justice.

      Much like an earlier post about traffic cops implied, unless or even if the punishment is imminent and certain (i.e. the cop is standing directly in front of you, gun in hand), people will break laws from the trivial to the severe for innumerable reasons. If there is a political motivation, imprisonment and in some cases even death may be acceptable consequences and hence not deterrents at all. In the case of virus writers, capture is not a huge a risk, proof of guilt is difficult to establish, so what the hell.

  163. Not a ten year vulnerability by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I am proud to say that Win 98 has been rock solid while you with your "real operating systems" have had your comps restarting with this "Blaster Worm virus"

  164. kill everyone. by twitter · · Score: 1
    Or perhaps you meant the entire company and everyone who worked there.... Start charging the folks who deploy Microsoft for negligence.

    That makes about as much sense as putting this 18 year old in jail like the scape goat he's going to be.

    --

    Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.

  165. Not criminal, agreed. by White+Manual · · Score: 1

    We were talking about responsability, either civil or criminal. Civil responsability is more than enough to get you fired. In my home country there is a gipsy saying (actually a curse or malediction) that goes "tengas pleitos y los ganes" -- "have lawsuits and you win them".

  166. Re:It is so obvious that Microsoft wrote this arti by Overly+Critical+Guy · · Score: 1

    Complete and utter FUD. The vulnerability was patched a whole month before Blaster was let loose, and the government warned people twice to install the patch.

    Please, Microsoft didn't write anything. How is that advertisement? It's simple truth. Slashdot had an article just like it that talked about how Microsoft avoided the DOS. Obviously, they're giong to explain what windowsupdate.com is and why it's so important that someone wanted to attack it. It's called being informative.

    --
    "Sufferin' succotash."
  167. Not quite by Maxwell'sSilverLART · · Score: 2, Informative

    He's innocent....Alleged writer. Innocent until proven guilty beyond all reasonable doubt.

    Close. He is to be presumed innocent until proven guilty; the presumption doesn't change whether or not he is actually innocent, it only affects how he is tried.

    For example: all those of you sharing MP3s of Metallica's latest: you are guilty of copyright infringement (as defined by statute); however, if (when?) you are picked up on charges, you will be presumed innocent by the court until proven guilty. That presumption does not change the historical fact that you did, indeed, break the law.

    /pedantry

    --
    Moderate drunk! It's more fun that way!
  168. Misprison of a felony by SunPin · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Look it up, amigo. If you know about a felony and you don't report it, you are guilty of cover-up and can serve time for your avoidance of doing the right thing.

    You have an amazingly rosy view of how the law works in this country. You must be those law-abiding citizens with nothing to fear that I keep hearing about. When we have laws that will revoke habeas corpus for the bizarre and impossible crime of loitering with space aliens (1982, Department of defense appropriations bill) and the hard-hitting "conspiracy of one", you can and will go down for anything if they want you.

    Do you think it's an accident that we have the largest prison population, in absolute and relative terms, in the world?

    --
    Laws are for people with no friends.
    1. Re:Misprison of a felony by MegaFur · · Score: 1

      Your post sounds like a troll and a bad one. Apparently, you were so busy thinking about your little "the Man is gonna get us" speech, you failed to actually read what you were replying to. The parent poster (to your post) didn't talk of reporting a crime, he talked of attempting to prevent a crime.

      He was saying that you wouldn't be obligated to stop the hammer killer by intervening. Of course you should report it.

      His post had nothing to do with the continual decay of civil liberties in this country.

      --
      Furry cows moo and decompress.
    2. Re:Misprison of a felony by SunPin · · Score: 1

      Point taken. You are correct.

      --
      Laws are for people with no friends.
    3. Re:Misprison of a felony by BitterOak · · Score: 1
      Look it up, amigo. If you know about a felony and you don't report it, you are guilty of cover-up and can serve time for your avoidance of doing the right thing.

      Look it up where? I'm not aware of any such law in the United States Code. Can you provide an exact reference?

      --
      If I can be modded down for being a troll, can I be modded up for being an orc, or a balrog?
    4. Re:Misprison of a felony by Zatar · · Score: 1
      When we have laws that will revoke habeas corpus for the bizarre and impossible crime of loitering with space aliens (1982, Department of defense appropriations bill)

      Huh? Sounds like a badly mangled version of this urban legend.

    5. Re:Misprison of a felony by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      You're terribly naive. Please provide a link to the law that makes it a crime not to report a felony, or a link to a court case of somebody who was prosecuted for this "crime."

      It's absurd - have you ever heard of somebody getting arrested for that? What about the man who, several years ago, famously didn't stop his roommate from molesting & killing a child?

    6. Re:Misprison of a felony by SunPin · · Score: 1

      Here you go: Misprison of a felony

      --
      Laws are for people with no friends.
    7. Re:Misprison of a felony by SunPin · · Score: 1

      No it isn't. I know someone that went down for this among other charges. You need a reference? Here you go: Misprison of a felony

      --
      Laws are for people with no friends.
    8. Re:Misprison of a felony by SunPin · · Score: 1

      No need to be a jackass. It's among the craziest crimes on the books but it's real. I know somebody that went down for it. Here you go: Misprison of a felony

      --
      Laws are for people with no friends.
    9. Re:Misprison of a felony by msaavedra · · Score: 1

      You seem to be misunderstanding your own reference. First of all, it's misprision not misprison. Second, you should reread this part more carefully:

      The elements of misprision of a feloney, both of which must be proved to support conviction, are:

      • concealment of something, such as suppression of evidence or some other positive act; and
      • failure to disclose.
      Failure to disclose, without active concealment, is not a felony. [emphasis mine]
      --
      "Any fool can make a rule, and any fool will mind it."
      --Henry David Thoreau
    10. Re:Misprison of a felony by Zatar · · Score: 1

      I fail to see anything on that page referring to "space aliens".

      You know someone that "went down" for associating with space aliens? I thought you said that crime was "impossible"?

    11. Re:Misprison of a felony by Beliskner · · Score: 1
      The elements of misprision of a feloney, both of which must be proved to support conviction, are: concealment of something, such as suppression of evidence or some other positive act; and failure to disclose.
      Failure to disclose, without active concealment, is not a felony
      ... and this would still be a felony under the Rico Laws.
      --
      A caveman dreams of being us, the incalculable power and riches. We dream of being Q, then what?
  169. George Carlin by Overly+Critical+Guy · · Score: 1

    "They'll say, 'You can't joke about rape. Rape's not funny.' I can prove to you that rape is funny. Picture Porky Pig raping Elmer Fudd. See, hey, why do you think they call him Porky?" -- George Carlin

    --
    "Sufferin' succotash."
    1. Re:George Carlin by Boing · · Score: 1
      Obviously, you can find humor in anything. My point is that the "humor" in prison rape jokes consist entirely of the act itself. No funny characters or witty comments, just "haha, this eighteen-year-old is going to be raped in prison". Those specific instances represent a mean-spirited type of humor, while belittling an important issue.

      I admit, I probably should have said that in my original comment. I'm not saying there's no way to find situation n funny, just that (IMHO) the jokes that were being modded as funny were not adding any humor to a serious issue. They were just mentioning it in a lighthearted way, and that itself is not worthy of a "funny" tag.

    2. Re:George Carlin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      That's not funny you sick fuck.

    3. Re:George Carlin by Overly+Critical+Guy · · Score: 1

      Clearly, others disagree. You don't find it funny for whatever uptight reason, while others do.

      --
      "Sufferin' succotash."
  170. His fate... by Shant3030 · · Score: 1

    He'll probably work for the NSA, be placed on probation and make a sh!t load of money...

    --
    100% Insightful
    1. Re:His fate... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey, I can use a hex editor to change string constants too, where the fuck's my paycheque?!?

  171. Full George Carlin quote by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ohhh, some people don't like you to talk like that. Ohh, some people like to shut you up for saying those things. You know that. Lots of people. Lots of groups in this country want to tell you how to talk. Tell you what you can't talk about. Well, sometimes they'll say, well you can talk about something but you can't joke about it. Say you can't joke about something because it's not funny. Comedians run into that shit all the time. Like rape. They'll say, "you can't joke about rape. Rape's not funny." I say, "fuck you, I think it's hilarious. How do you like that?" I can prove to you that rape is funny. Picture Porky Pig raping Elmer Fudd. See, hey why do you think they call him "Porky," eh? I know what you're going to say. "Elmer was asking for it. Elmer was coming on to Porky. Porky couldn't help himself, he got a hard- on, he got horney, he lost control, he went out of his mind." A lot of men talk like that. A lot of men think that way. They think it's the woman's fault. They like to blame the rape on the woman. Say, "she had it coming, she was wearing a short skirt." These guys think women ought to go to prison for being cock teasers. Don't seem fair to me. Don't seem right, but you can joke about it. I believe you can joke about anything. It all depends on how you construct the joke. What the exaggeration is. What the exaggeration is. Because every joke needs one exaggeration. Every joke needs one thing to be way out of proportion. Give you an example. Did you ever see a news story like this in the paper? Every now and then you run into a story, says, "some guy broke into a house, stole a lot of things, and while he was in there, he raped an 81 year old woman." And I'm thinking to myself, "WHY??? What the fuck kind of a social life does this guy have?" I want to say, "why did you do that?" "Well she was coming on to me. We were dancing and I got horney. Hey, she was asking for it, she had on a tight bathrobe." I'll say, "Jesus Christ, be a little fucking selective next time will you?"

  172. Because you're a luddite by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "I fail to see how it's "sad" to get any virus writer - big or small - out of the virus writing business. "

    Because complicated machines frighten you... no, hear me out.

    You think virus writers are evil, because you fear the power of computers. You think anything that harms them is so awful that they must be punished.

    Me? I think virus writing is free speech. I don't see how its a crime to type some lines into an editor and hit the compile button. That's BS and its the reason that if you rob a bank with a gun, you get 5 years, but if you do it with a computer, you get 20 years.

    Really stupid.

    1. Re:Because you're a luddite by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Writing one *is* free speach. Testing and releasing one (or allowing one you worked on to be released through negligence) is vandalism on a massive scale.

      There's a pretty clear difference that I'm sure even you can see if you look.

  173. The American way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    hypocrasy, ignorance and spitefullness

  174. No Speak English... by schappim · · Score: 1

    When I'm on the run, between work and university, I sometimes jump onto a computer at a webcafe, and log into/onto slashdot... now as english is my second language, I think i made a good enough attempt. And for the anally retentive... "Anyone whose imagination peaks at naming one of the most significant viruses of out time as 'MS Blaster' deserves to get caught! http://www.digitalive.com.au"

  175. Prisoner rape is IRRELEVANT. . . . by Salgak1 · · Score: 2, Insightful
    The fact that the crime was PHYSICALLY non-violent is irrelevant. Distributing a virus causes destruction of virtual structures and physically important data. It may have been a non-violent offense, but it WAS a destructive offense, eating up God only knows how much in manpower, lost data, and wasted time.

    As far as prisoner rape goes, it's a crime of violence, every feminist tells us so. If J.Random Virus Hacker goes to jail and gets raped, he/she reports the crime. The Authorities then have their job to do. . . if they don't do it, I'm sure they'd enjoy a spell in jail themselves.

    On the other hand, nobody ever said prison was supposed to be all Tea and Crumpets, either: it's punishment for crimes committed and convicted. . .

    1. Re:Prisoner rape is IRRELEVANT. . . . by arkane1234 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      On the other hand, nobody ever said prison was supposed to be all Tea and Crumpets, either: it's punishment for crimes committed and convicted. .

      The punishment is incarceration, it is NOT sodomy. I have never heard a judge say in his/her verdict, "and I convict the defendant to 5 years of incarceration, with the occasional guy holding him down and taking him anally". NO. It's against the law. Just because it's prison, it doesn't mean it's alright to break laws. Gee, if that's the case, you could slip small boys into the prison for the whole yard to have a little fun with, jesus.

      --
      -- This space for lease, low setup fee, inquire within!
    2. Re:Prisoner rape is IRRELEVANT. . . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nice hyperbole, genius. The little kids haven't done anything wrong - yet. The criminal on the other hand deserves every moment of sphincter-tearing punishment his cellmate "Bubba" sees fit to dish out.

      Soon he'll be distributing a whole new kind of virus.

    3. Re:Prisoner rape is IRRELEVANT. . . . by Salgak1 · · Score: 1
      I never said that, I was just implying that prison was not supposed to be a pleasant experience, but a deterrent to further criminal behavior.

      Hell, locking a 18-year-old up without net access is going to drive that S.O.B. up the wall all by itself. . .

    4. Re:Prisoner rape is IRRELEVANT. . . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Not funny. Not funny at all.

      Have some mercy, why don't you? I'm sure someone can look at your life and tell you all the things you did "wrong". Probably, with the right soft spot, it is possible to completely shatter a person, any person, in a matter of sentences. So hey. Who are you or anybody else to start talking about what another human being deserves?

      A lot of people who commit crimes are confused individuals. They deserve our sympathy and compassion, believe it or not, just like any other human being.

      Now, I'm sick of hearing cold, conservative, excuse me for calling it this but American views of "justice" that simply have no heart. "Love thy neighbor." Ever hear of that one?

    5. Re:Prisoner rape is IRRELEVANT. . . . by Slack3r78 · · Score: 1
      As far as prisoner rape goes, it's a crime of violence, every feminist tells us so. If J.Random Virus Hacker goes to jail and gets raped, he/she reports the crime. The Authorities then have their job to do. . . if they don't do it, I'm sure they'd enjoy a spell in jail themselves.

      That's the problem, the authorities don't do their jobs. Do some reading on the situation. Jail officials generally do nothing and District Attornies often refuse to persue charges against either the rapist or the negligent officials in cases like this. All because it's become an accepted part of our culture that "it's part of your punishment" which is flat out wrong. So your ideals are right - prison authourities SHOULD have to "do their jobs." But most of the time, they don't, and there are no repercussions for it.
    6. Re:Prisoner rape is IRRELEVANT. . . . by ded_guy · · Score: 1

      I sentence you to five years in a federal ``pound-me-in-the-ass'' prison...

      --
      In the future, all spacecraft will be made of cheese.
    7. Re:Prisoner rape is IRRELEVANT. . . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People with this much compasion for fucking criminals should redirect their efforts into a worthwhile cause. Why don't you try to make life better for someone who deserves it?

    8. Re:Prisoner rape is IRRELEVANT. . . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Irrelevant? Says who?

      The kid may/may not have written a VIRUS. OOH A COMPUTER VIRUS! SO HARMFUL!

      Maybe people will learn to patch their shit.

    9. Re:Prisoner rape is IRRELEVANT. . . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Undoubtedly there's no repercussions for it because in a prison, the guards are usually always right and the prisoners are usually always wrong. The stupid argument goes: Well gee, they're prisoners, therefore you cannot trust them. The guards are not prisoners, therefore they can be trusted. Who's to say that a guard isn't just a prisoner that hasn't been caught yet?

    10. Re:Prisoner rape is IRRELEVANT. . . . by teklob · · Score: 1

      Just because it's prison, it doesn't mean it's alright to break laws.
      And we all know that prisoners would never dream of breaking the law... oh wait

    11. Re:Prisoner rape is IRRELEVANT. . . . by FrEaK7782 · · Score: 1

      The judge in Office Space said that!

    12. Re:Prisoner rape is IRRELEVANT. . . . by TheAncientHacker · · Score: 1

      We lock away criminals in prison AS punishment, not FOR punishment. It is the only this that separates our prisons (at least the ones not in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba) from the chambers of the Inquisition.

    13. Re:Prisoner rape is IRRELEVANT. . . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought this was about loving your cellmate. . . .

    14. Re:Prisoner rape is IRRELEVANT. . . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ah...you mean someone like you?

    15. Re:Prisoner rape is IRRELEVANT. . . . by buck_wild · · Score: 1

      I agree.

      The shocking part is that none of this disuades non-ciminals from becoming criminals and having this done to them!

      --
      If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
    16. Re:Prisoner rape is IRRELEVANT. . . . by buck_wild · · Score: 1

      *shrug*

      I look at it as one in the same.

      And it keeps me from straying to the Dark Side, let me tell you.

      Why do you think we have so many repeat criminals, if this is such a hardship?

      --
      If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
    17. Re:Prisoner rape is IRRELEVANT. . . . by TheAncientHacker · · Score: 1

      Simply put, harsh sentences are not a deterrent to crime. Nobody (well, nobody short of Mafia lieutenants) does a crime thinking they'll get convicted even for a short sentence. They do the crime thinking that they won't get caught.

      What DOES act as a deterrent is sure and swift conviction of the guilty and sure and swift exoneration of the innocent but that would involve spending money on training and staffing police departments and it would involve no longer basing promotions of police and district attorneys on convictions but rather by providing financial and promotion disincentives for overturned convictions.

    18. Re:Prisoner rape is IRRELEVANT. . . . by buck_wild · · Score: 1

      I seriously doubt that we'll see such an overhaul of our justice system within our lifetimes.

      Great thoughts though...

      --
      If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
    19. Re:Prisoner rape is IRRELEVANT. . . . by arkane1234 · · Score: 1

      Nice hyperbole, genius. The little kids haven't done anything wrong - yet. The criminal on the other hand deserves every moment of sphincter-tearing punishment his cellmate "Bubba" sees fit to dish out.

      Soon he'll be distributing a whole new kind of virus.


      And I suppose that putting files onto the net brings an anal raping charge? Remember, file sharers go to the same prison.

      Creating a virus does not meet the criteria of physical demoralization that leave mental scars for a lifetime, but thanks for playing.

      --
      -- This space for lease, low setup fee, inquire within!
    20. Re:Prisoner rape is IRRELEVANT. . . . by fizbin · · Score: 1

      Prisoner rape will remain relevant as long as society - and, most importantly, police and district attorneys - view it as part of the accepted reality of prison life. So long as a cop or DA can threaten prisoner rape as part of the consequences of prison life, (i.e. "plead guilty now and we'll make sure your prison sentence is unlikely to put you in a federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison, but in a minimum security place with conjugal visits") it is still relevant.

      (This does not imply that it ceases being relevant the instant DAs and police stop using its existence as a coersion tactic - only that so long as rape remains evan an implied threat during plea negotiations, its existence is still relevant to the question of whether the workings of our justice system can be trusted)

    21. Re:Prisoner rape is IRRELEVANT. . . . by Salgak1 · · Score: 1

      My point was that prisoner rape was irrelevant to the SENTENCE: the jerk who wrote Blaster-B, while not comitting a crime of VIOLENCE, still committed a highly destructive act. Hence, warranting prison time. . .

  176. So you feel better now? by miradu2000 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    IS it really worth ruining a persons life, if he is found guilty, just becuase you as a sys admin had to deal with an inconvience. Windows update didn't go down, maybe some of your time was spent dealing with it, but that is YOUR JOB. And if your network isn't up to date with updates, IMHO, it's your damn fault.

    Sadly he'l be the scaegoat while all the network admins, microsoft etc gets to go free. I just don't think that any punishment they give him will fit the crime... Personally i think he just needs to do some community service, what he did was wrong, but nothing truely bad.

  177. What I wanna know... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...is how did they catch him? Is the Total Information Awareness system all ready in place? Is there a Carnovoire in every router all ready? Maybe I don't wanna know - they would probably kill me.

  178. Re:Cry Me a River by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm an asshole? Wow, my feelings are hurt.

    Unfortunately, the fact that you think I'm a "fucking ass" without compassion means absolutely nothing to me. I'm secure enough in who I am, what I believe, and how I live to not be affected by such childishness. You should be careful about insulting someone you know nothing about and insinuating that I am breaking the law in some way. You simply do not know.

    I fail to understand how your slippery slope comments about the DMCA and Patriot Act have any relevance to my comments or the discussion. These laws may be horrible pieces of legislation that infringe upon basic rights and common sense, but the fact is that they are the law right now. I'm writing various congressmen and making my community aware of them so that these laws can be abolished. What are you doing about them other than whining and spreading paranoia?

    Anyway, to answer your questions:

    1. Yes I have digital music files (AAC, and FLAC), however, they were all encoded by myself from CDs that I own or purchased online from Apple's iTunes music store. I hate to remind you of this since it was one of you're primary arguments, but it's not illegal to have a copyrighted song. If I buy a CD, I own a piece of media containing copyrighted material. I'm pretty sure owning CDs is legal. If you know otherwise, I'd love to hear about it. MP3s of music you own have not been made illegal yet, so again, please tell me how I'm breaking the law.

    2. Do I speed? Yes I go above the posted speed limits, as do most people in this world. However, I only go above the speed limit on roads and highways where there is a good field of view and when traffic and weather permit high speeds to be safe. Speed limits are minor offenses primarily used to generate revenue and prevent people from excessively dangerous speeds. In school zones and residential areas, I always abide by the speed limits. How many speeding tickets have you gotten? I've been pulled over once for speeding, and given a warning because the officer understood that, while I was driving fast, it was a safe speed given the conditions. Besides, I have no problem paying a fine for speeding. If the law provided more severe penalties such as prison for exceeding the posted speed limit, I simply would not speed.

    3. Do I double park? Absolutely not and for a number of reasons. Double parking annoys the hell out of me when others do it and it would be highly hypocritical for me to double park. I also see no reason to do so.

    Show compassion? What is there to show compassion about? Why should I be sympathetic to someone who is serving time as punishment for something that they did. The laws are posted along with the consequences of breaking those laws. Regardless of how inane and unjust the law is, when you break it you've decided that breaking the law is worth more than doing the time. You know, benefits outweigh the risks? You get caught, you do the time. It's that simple. Civil disobedience works the same way and those are the only people in prison who may deserve respect.

  179. Hrmm... by hahn · · Score: 1

    "The FBI has identified a teenager...and plans to arrest him early Friday, a U.S. official confirmed Thursday."
    "The 18-year-old, whose name and hometown was not immediately available..."

    As others here have mentioned, why are they announcing his arrest ahead of time? Could it be that they haven't pinpointed exactly who and where this person is and are hoping that the announcement will flush him out?

    "A witness reportedly saw the teen testing the infection and called authorities, the official said."

    Because most programmers who are smart enough to code a worm would do it on a public computer or with other people watching over their shoulders? WTF?! This kind of shows how much intelligence the U.S. Attorney's office thinks the American public has. The irony is that 90% of the public won't question these glitches in logic.

    --
    "The only normal people are the ones you don't know very well."
  180. No felony, no arrest, but... by nonameisgood · · Score: 1

    Precisely right that corporations are not fictitious persons - in civil law, they are persons. If it were a criminal matter, a federal felony conviction of a corporation would preclude the purchase of Microsoft products or support by the federal government and firms working under many federal contracts.

    But even Microsoft's inept handling of buggy software isn't criminal, unless it is shown that there was intent to defraud or do harm. Fortunately, in the US, is not a crime, yet, to be stupid.

    I might be afraid that this would change if the current administration was not so hell bent on protecting businesses, while not thinking twice about its citizens' liberty.

    Just say no to fascism.

    --
    Faith is the very antithesis of reason, injudiciousness a critical component of spiritual devotion. Jon Krakauer
  181. What's even worse.. by Inoshiro · · Score: 1

    Is that due to the lack of good samaratin laws, you can be sued in the US if you (for example) pull someone from a burning wreck that's about to explode, but end up paralyzing the person in the process. If you're going to help a person in the US who you do see being involved in something dangerous to them, just be sure to leave the country when you're done.

    US law is scary. I wish the average populace was more informed about it so that it'd be reformed.

    --
    --
    Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
  182. It's Funny Because It's True: Emo Phillips- by jetsetscoot · · Score: 1

    Emo says:

    "Some people are against capital punishment, because they say that it turns the state into a murderer. I'm against imprisonment, because it turns the state into a gay dungeon-master"

  183. OT: assfoo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    We've seen the birth of a lot of assfoo words lately:
    • asshat
    • assclown
    • asswitted

    What's with this newly-emergent fascination with asswords?

  184. Oh yeah sure buddy by jidar · · Score: 1

    sounds like somebody needs to get laid.

    --
    Sigs are awesome huh?
  185. The European Way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Mis-spelling hypocrisy and spitefulness whilst bashing americans.

  186. Go After M$ by foo(foo(foo(bar))) · · Score: 1

    Sooooo... how come noone goes after Microsoft for releasing a defective product? I mean it worked for the tobaco industry.
    Microsoft has across the bord failed to deliver the elvel of security needed when you are going to provide a desktop OS to mostly clueless users, and the should have to pay the price. If General Motors left an extra key hole on the door of your car, but made it so any key would work in it - well I just don't think they could get away with that.
    It's high time we hold software to the same standards that other consumer products have to live up to!!

  187. Re:Prison and Justice system corrupted by Viol8 · · Score: 1

    "eye for an eye"

    "forgive and forget"

    Those are the most obvious ones, there are dozens of others which I'm sure you can google for.

  188. Belittling ourselves by phorm · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Actually, considering the self-deprecating humour on slashdot, I wouldn't read too much into it. How many of us have joked about "slashdot readers being virgins." Mainly because we have a large geeky population, and many (but not all) of said geeky population lack the social skills to properly interface with members of the same gender, let alone the opposite sex.

    The virgin isn't really a reference to sexual activity per-se, so much as it is a reference to the fact that somebody with so much a lack of a "life" probably is very likely sitting in front of a PC 24/7 and not meeting women.

    Actually, sounds a lot like me in High School. Except that I didn't write viruses (custom backdoors to deal with people in the lab I didn't like, yes, but the teachers knew and found it amusing), and I now do have a social/sex life in addition to geeky pursuits.

    Of course... another trademark of my geekdom is that said social life usually falls on the backburner whenever the newest Final Fantasy or RPG comes out... luckily the g/f is into 'em too (though I haven't gotten her on Warcraft/Starcraft or FPS yet).

    1. Re:Belittling ourselves by theTerribleRobbo · · Score: 0

      > ...and I now do have a social/sex life in addition to geeky pursuits. /. has just disowned you.

    2. Re:Belittling ourselves by Firefly1 · · Score: 1
      Mainly because we have a large geeky population...
      Which obliges me to ask after the definition of the word 'geek'.
      ...and many (but not all) of said geeky population lack the social skills to properly interface with members of the same gender, let alone the opposite sex.
      And this leads me to ask, "what is meant by 'properly interface' with respect to the opposite gender?" From the context of this thread, one is led to guess that 'proper relations' means having a boy/girlfriend and a sex life (as distinct from having friends who happen to be of the opposite gender). Such a guess would, of course, be quite wrong, never mind the fact of the definition being incredibly narrow-minded.
      --
      - White Knight of the Order of Mihoshi Enthusiasts
    3. Re:Belittling ourselves by phorm · · Score: 1

      No, properly interface meaning simply being able to get along with guys without getting your ass whipped, or a female without tripping over your tongue 100 times over. It doesn't afflict all of the geek population, but some cannot even speak to a woman without turning red and getting very confused.

      I don't remember I personally was quite that bad way back when... but I do remember not having any of the social skills to interact (interface) with a girl on any level (let alone a physical one). Today most of my better friends are girls and it's no problemo. In fact, geeks probably make better guy-friends than many over-testosteroned-do-me-baby type guys I've met.

    4. Re:Belittling ourselves by TheAncientHacker · · Score: 3, Funny

      I've generally found that people making fun of "18 year old virgins" are, themselves, 20+ year old virgins.

    5. Re:Belittling ourselves by Fishstick · · Score: 1
      --

      There is much cruelty in the universe, John.
      Yeah, we seem to have the tour map.

  189. Re:Generalizations about black men are funny ha ha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful
    ...subsequently violently raped repeatedly by multiple large black men...
    Hey look, a P.C. hypocrite spitting out stereotypes and generalizations while at the same time telling someone else what they are saying is wrong. I'm sorry if YOU got raped in prison, but I am a large black man, I didn't do it and I don't appreciate your generalizations.
  190. Wait 2 weeks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Now let's wait two weeks to a month until we get the follow-up news report detailing how the government's evidence is a "thin thread" and we learn all the solid evidence was cookied, tweaked or slanted beyond belief. That seems to be the common theme among government investigations these days.

  191. The kid has been apprehended, apparently by tuffy · · Score: 1

    According to this report, the teen was from Minnesota and will be making a court appearance in St. Paul today.

    --

    Ita erat quando hic adveni.

  192. Re:writing viruses shouldnt be illegal by haeger · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Let's play "What if..."

    What if I write a virus for my own education. I simply want to know if I can.

    What if it accidentally infected my own computer.

    It's not illegal to write viruses/worms/trojans and its not illegal to get infected, now what? I suspect one could get arrested for negligence(sp?), but really, what would happen in that situation?

    Writing code should never be illegal IMHO. Just like making a hammer or a gun shouldn't be illegal. Using that code/hammer/gun to commit a crime should be illegal. Being clumsy is somewhat illegal already isn't it?

    .haeger

    --
    You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. -- Harlan Ellison
  193. Some thoughts on future virus and worm attacks... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    You know, looking at the previous weeks in retrospect we can consider ourselves lucky that virus and worm writers haven't latched onto the "open" paradigm....

    I think it would be an extremely bad situation if worms had some sort of SDK and documentation in their payload so that anyone, just like this 18-year old, could build on the worms capabilities. By the same token, it would be even worse if the source code to the worm would not be included because that would be a great help for those developing countermeasures against it.

    If there's a way to build on a worm's code, people will come up with novel ideas to use the code the original developer of the virus didn't even think of. They could even provide field service to it, fixing/improving the propagation code for example so it hits even more systems.

    Finally there's one thing I hope virus writers never consider.. I hope they wont delay execution of their damage code, not even for a couple of hours. If they did that, their worms could penetrate much deeper into intranets before admins detect it and cause so much more damage.

    I hate virus writers. They hurt all the corporations dear to my heart, the bank I love and the government we all rely on. I hate this little 18 year old brat whoever he is going to be (obviously the FBI didn't pick which of the million teens with a computer and a modem to go after yet...). I hope they throw the book at him and make him suffer like Mitnick. Scum like that doesn't have "rights" much less a "right" to "due process". They should kick him into the face for breakfast, torture him with cattle-prods for lunch and bullwhip him for dinner 7 days a week.

  194. Reminds me of that joke... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Parent: Oh, dear. Our son was caught testing a virus.

    Other parent: Damn! It seems that the day care center, the after school program, television, and the babysitter are not raising him right.

  195. There comes the question by phorm · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Who would understand he was actually writing a virus? Well, perhaps a fellow coder, a hacker, a classmate?

    But then that brings the question: such individuals are usually fairly close-knit. If you're around the dude long enough to realize his code is a blaster-variant, and he is somewhat of a friend, or good associate, would you turn him in? How many geeks would?

    It's a hard decision, especially with a decent chance that with the current upset over said viruses even a script-kiddy variant-writer is going to get lynched after being caught. It'd make him/her a good example for other would-be virus writers, but would you do it to somebody you know?

    Of course, many such geeks are vain. It could have been somebody declaring, "you think blaster was bad... wait until you see the badass variant I'm writing. I'm going to 0WZ0R J00"...

  196. another "obvious analogy" by Thadddius_Brinks · · Score: 1

    sure am glad there has ALWAYS been cops around to keep us little folk from letting our animal instinct take over our senses and getting out of line. Hell, you could just ask Sacco and Vanzetti how fair and impartial our judicial system is and how well they dole out juctice. (except they got the electric chair)
    After all, some kid that writes a virus is FAR more dangerous to our way of life then a murderer, rapist, or politician.......

  197. Re:writing viruses shouldnt be illegal by ratboy666 · · Score: 1

    I have karma to burn. So lets dive in...

    Email "click on me please" worms should, IMO, be legal. If it requires user action to activate, I argue the "permission" has been granted.

    Viruses that exploit holes and spread by themselves should ALSO, IMO, be treated the same.
    The fact that the hole exists can be interpreted to mean that permission was given (after all, what other purpose does the hole serve?).

    It is the users responsibility to keep on top of things. Including arranging for recourse with vendors in case holes are discovered (just read the typical EULA).

    If this is NOT the case, then I would not want to even LOOK for holes. After all, looking for holes may be interpreted as meaning I was after an exploit, and thus JAIL TIME (DMCA).

    Of course, users want what is easy and cheap, and vendors don't want responsibility, so all the blame gets shifted to... hackers. The "paladium" thing is supposed to shift the responsibility from the users (who don't seem to want it) to the Vendor. Except that the vendor still doesn't give any guarantees.

    With most other endeavours that can greatly affect other people (driving, flying, etc.) society issues licenses to certify that the "user" has a basic level of competency, and won't jepordize others. Not with running a computer on the 'net. No license needed. If we want to keep it that way, then we need to just "suck it up" with worms and viruses, making our systems as immune as possible.

    Keep the 'net free and open. If Microsoft users don't want to patch their systems, we should do it for them -- really, whether or not they want it done. The price the MS user who doesn't stay on top of her patches pays. Same for other OSs (cracking or blacklisting open mail relays running Linux whould be an example). Keep hacking legal. For those in the US, down with the DMCA.

    Note that with closed source software, the vendor has the responsibility to ensure that holes are closed. The user has the responsibility to choose a vendor that demonstrates good behaviour in that regard. With open source software, the responsibility can be shifted directly to the user, to deal with as she chooses. Or the vendor can keep responsibility (Windows on one side, Solaris in the middle, Linux on the other side).

    All of this is probably too much for most people to stomach. Ok, I'll compromise. Make "worms and viruses" illegal, just to discourage the writers. Set a fine of $1000 per ORIGINAL system not owned by the offender affected. No jail time. Just enough to discourage the 18 year olds. No record either.

    Ratboy.

    --
    Just another "Cubible(sic) Joe" 2 17 3061
  198. Re:Generalizations about black men are funny ha ha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Really. The stereotype is getting it from Bubba the Axe Murderer. . .

  199. You are clueless by lpret · · Score: 0, Troll

    I can't begin to try and understand your logic. Go to http://www.zone-h.org/en/defacements and look at the servers that are getting defaced. It's mostly linux servers. If linux were the "it" OS, there would be tons of people who would be writing viruses saying "Linus, why do you make it so easy!!!1"

    --
    This is my digital signature. 10011011001
    1. Re:You are clueless by ncc74656 · · Score: 1
      I can't begin to try and understand your logic.

      The "logic" of trolls isn't. When you run across a troll, don't feed it.

      --
      20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
  200. Guy or girl? by phorm · · Score: 1

    You would never hear of people using the term "18 year-old girl, probably still a virgin"

    It might be noted that while many indicate that the writer was male, the original article was in fact ambiguous as to the gender of the virus writer. Could be a girl, for all we know.

    Oh, and again, part of the whole virgin thing is that if said individual were able to get some, it would probably be much more appealing that writing stupid viruses, correct?

    1. Re:Guy or girl? by wackybrit · · Score: 1

      Oh, and again, part of the whole virgin thing is that if said individual were able to get some, it would probably be much more appealing that writing stupid viruses, correct?

      Well that's the most persistent dip-shit argument I've heard on Slashdot. If sex was so amazing that no-one wanted to do anything else but have sex, then a) we wouldn't even be on this site, b) no-one sexually active would play sports, c) or computer games, d) or go on vacation.

      Just because you're getting laid doesn't mean you can't find other things similarly interesting.

  201. How To Prove It? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Assuming this kid really did write a Blaster variant instead of merely use his computer to do something than run Outlook Express or IE, and assuming he wasn't stupid enough to brag with verifiable details, how to prove it? Possession of the LSD asmcodes would not be enough (I hope), nor would writing code incorporating them. The Feds will need to find real source (not a reverse compilation) and a compiler which will convert that source into the worm as found in the wild, on the kid's computer. Leaving that stuff around would be really dumb.

    1. Re:How To Prove It? by introverted · · Score: 1
      assuming he wasn't stupid enough to brag with verifiable details, how to prove it?

      According to the Washington Post's latest update, it looks like, yeah, he's that dumb.

      The person the FBI arrested is responsible for the Blaster.B variant and one of his changes was to have the worm register itself at his personal website so he could keep track of the infected machines. Seems to me that writing a worm that "phones home" directly to your own web site ought to qualify you for some sort of special "Idiot of the Year" award. (I suppose that's less expensive than renting a billboard.)

  202. Thanks for telling the whole world by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The FBI has identified a teenager as the author of a damaging virus-like infection unleashed on the Internet and plans to arrest him early Friday, a U.S. official confirmed Thursday.

    That's great. An anonymous FBI official notified the world of this guy's arrest in advance. Now they have to worry about flight from prosecution; destruction of or tampering with evidence; intimidation of potential witnesses; and otherwise having seriously jeopardized the investigation. =)

  203. Bill Gates taunt in worm. by RoadWarriorX · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Researchers also discovered another message hidden inside the infection that appeared to taunt Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates: "billy gates why do you make this possible? Stop making money and fix your software!"


    Gee, maybe we should take his message more seriously. Maybe the author of the worm is correct in some aspects. Some say that Microsoft is solely to blame for this. I'd say it is not 100% correct. There is a shared blame for the security problems:

    1. Microsoft, like many other companies, always preferred to have features and ease-of-use over security. To be fair, Microsoft and it's security initiatives have been somewhat successful, the preference still remains. The security problems still will continue.
    2. The U.S. Government, specifically the Federal Trade Commission. They has continually ignored the fact that security problems in Microsoft software has costed the government, businesses and individuals billons of dollars combined over the years. We see that monetary quantification all of the time, however, the always forget the real impact of individuals. These security problems do affect the daily life of individuals, from deleted homework assignments to identity theft.
    3. The Mass Market. This is because the mass-market of computer users want simplicity because they are not willing to take the time to learn about it's implications. They are technologically challenged. So, the mass-market users are mostly willing to sacrifice their security and privacy in order to have this simplicity. If they still continue to use products knowing that their time, their identity, their money and their life might be affected by the use of these products, then I do not feel sorry for them at all. They've made their consumer choices, let them learn from their mistakes.


    --
    No memory available for sig. Please reboot now.
    1. Re:Bill Gates taunt in worm. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      True dat.

      And with Windows 2003 they haven't changed. It was susceptible to the RPC exploit, which should have been off by default.

  204. Why Prison? by merky1 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It seems that everyone here is focused on putting this guy in prison. I really can't justify putting someone who wrote a virus in prison while CEOs who have stole billions roam free.

    Not to mention, there were two components to this problem. People need to stand up and take some responsibility when thier machines get infected. Personal firewalls and anti-virus have become common place, so I don't take that as an excuse.

    Yes, the kid should get some probation, possibly some community service managing / repairing systems for underprivelaged folks. But then that would depend on the legal system being motivated by rehabilitation and not retribution.

    --
    --WooooHoooo--
    1. Re:Why Prison? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're a fucking idiot. The kid belongs in prison, in a cell right beside the robber-baron CEOs you're so focused on.

      And both of them need to be signed up for the twice-daily ass-reamings which are the specialty of the iron-bar resort.

    2. Re:Why Prison? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It seems that everyone here is focused on putting this guy in prison.

      That's only because it would be illegal to nail him to a tree ten feet up by his cock.

  205. Ya! YA! Punishment fitting the crime! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    He should be locked in a room with no windows. One PC in the room, with Windows on it. And no Internet explorer, he has to use AOL to log on. With all its pop ups. No way for him to change that "Youve got mail" greeting. And Outlook Express if necessary. And make that Windows 98. On dialup. None of that 1045 free hours. 14-inch monitor. Old ball-style mouse. No mousepad. Keyuboard permanently on caps lock, and and

    I'll stop now.

    1. Re:Ya! YA! Punishment fitting the crime! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      May I suggest one small change? Make that Windows 95 instead of 98. Or, better yet, make it Win ME!!

  206. Yawn, Yawn, Yawn by Shivetya · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I see the same old tired crap "excuse" is alive and present.

    Repeat the mantra. If its bad for Microsoft, can be blamed on Microsoft, or through sleight of fact be pinned on Microsoft

    IT MUST BE GOOD FOR LINUX!

    A crime is a crime. Just because they catch only a few looters during a riot doesn't mean they should go easy on them. Sorry, going easy just because he is not the only guilty party is stupid.

    I guess that if you only kill one person its fair to get 7 years, but if you kill many you life (or death)... unless they were really bad people???

    Logic like yours is what makes this community look bad.

    --
    * Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
    1. Re:Yawn, Yawn, Yawn by IdleTime · · Score: 1

      Why the heck do you bring up Linux?
      Nobody has been ranting about Linux except for you. I personally use Linux and I don't have a single PC running Windows, but I don't start rambling about Linux in this context, do I?

      It's bad that there are so many security flaws in MS products, and that is a good argument for using Linux, but it has nothing to do with FBI going to arrest an 18 year old love sick puppy, does it?
      For petes sake, keep the comments real. If this boy indeed wrote the virus he needs to get his fingers smacked, but the punishment should be related to the crime. Based on common practice in the US, I'm a fraid it is not. He'll probably get 20-25 years for this crime, which is ridicilous. In the US you get 10 years if you burp in the wrong place, great leagal system!

      --
      If you mod me down, I *will* introduce you to my sister!
    2. Re:Yawn, Yawn, Yawn by buddyfarr · · Score: 1

      he probably brings up linux because everyone is bashing M$ for this mess. the real problem is the persons that are writing, or re-writing, the viruses. there are vulnerabilities in every OS, no matter what you are using. Linux is definately a better OS, but that does not mean that someone has the right to purposely write code that they know is going to crash your network. even if there ever existed an OS that was totally inpenetrable it still is up to the person setting up the system to make sure it is setup correctly so that it cannot be hacked into. but, if they set it up wide open, does that give anyone the right to go in and take it down? I don't think so. if you are the originator of the virus, or one of the many re-creators, I think the punishment should be very harsh. I have enough work to do, I don't want to have to drop everything just to clean up after your mess. 25 years in prison?? that is 25 I don't have to worry about you doing it again. and your cell mate will probably give you a good taste of the receiving end of some crappy software, (or would that be hardware??) ha ha...

    3. Re:Yawn, Yawn, Yawn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      In the US you get 10 years if you burp in the wrong place, great leagal system!

      And why do YOU bring up such stupid shit? Show me a place in the US where you get 10 years for burping, otherwise, don't make shit up.

    4. Re:Yawn, Yawn, Yawn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Punishment does not deter crime. A high chance of being caught deters crime. Make murder a mandatory 15 year prison sentence or a mandatory death sentance and you will have the same amount of murders being committed. Increase the probability of being caught for murdering someone from a 24% chance to a 100% chance and regardless of what the punishment is, the murder rate will go down.

      But people do not realize this. They see more and more crime and all they do is create harsher and harsher penaltys without affecting the crime rate in the slightest.

  207. He's caught. by arete · · Score: 1
    --
    Looking for freelance Actionscript (Flash/Flex) or ColdFusion work and/or freelance developers. Email me, put Slashdot
  208. You punish him by spruce · · Score: 1

    I'm not that much older than that kid, and I'm pretty damn aware of the severe problems a worm like this can cause. He created problems for millions of people, didn't it shut down nuclear power plant safety equipment? I mean, they have to have the evidence, but if it can be proved, you teach the kid a lesson.

    I think he should be fined heavily and given about a year of jail time.

    1. Re:You punish him by Capt_Troy · · Score: 1

      Great idea. In a year there will be one more 19 year old kid with more debt that he can handle and a chip on his shoulder. Now he's got nothing to lose. Great idea.

    2. Re:You punish him by spruce · · Score: 1

      Chip on his shoulders? He has to realize that he did something bad. How would you fix the problem - counseling? Say bad boy! That'll sure show others that writing worms that can cause massive damage is a bad thing to do!

      What's your solution, really?

    3. Re:You punish him by Capt_Troy · · Score: 1

      No, you're right. Put him in prision that's my solution too. How could I have been so naive to not consider that after a few years in prision a fine young productive young man will emerge and partake in the general betterment of society.

    4. Re:You punish him by spruce · · Score: 1

      You've yet to state what you think should be done about it, yet you're shooting back at everybody who disagrees with you.

      I've been to jail for two days, and I guarantee you that I do not ever perform the action that put in that place again.

      This was a MAJOR problem for a huge number of people, costing unknown sums of cash. This kid needs to know how bad of a thing he did, and I think about a year of reflection will do that to him, and he won't come out a corrupted person. If he does it's his own damn fault.

      Also, other people need to be scared of the reprecussions from such actions.

      The kid is 18, and he knew what he was doing, and I don't feel sorry for him.

  209. Re:No blame for MS? - What about Dell?! by Storebj0rn · · Score: 1
    I just helped a friend of mine setting up her new Inspiron 8500 yesterday, and while connecting the thing to the net, suddenly Blaster kicks in.

    Now, Dell shipped this machine to her in August, preinstalled with XP - without this patch.

    In my book, that's irresponsible.

    They could at least have shipped it with a warning explaining that the first thing to do was visit the Microsoft site to get the patch.

    (On another note, the pre-installed norton antivirus was from February (!) 2003... Apparently 9 megs(!) of updates(on a POTS line...yawn!) had to be downloaded...

    --
    "Windows are for cheaters" - Bruce Springsteen
  210. Suspect identified by CNN by Chatmag · · Score: 1

    Jeffrey Lee Parsons, of Hopkins, Minn. has been identified as the supect.

    --
    Pete Carr Owner Chatmag.com
    1. Re:Suspect identified by CNN by Nintendork · · Score: 1
      His handle is Teekid. Here's a google search.

      -Lucas

  211. I love /.'ers by lordDogma · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Reading slashdot reminds me of being in high school. What passes for intellectual thought and sound logic around here is truly amazing.

    /.'er: Um, gee whiz guys, by my calculation, Bill Gates should go to prison. He is at fault for the damage caused by MSBlaster because of the bugs in his software. The 18 year old kid is just a scapegoat like Kevin Mitnick.

    Me: By that logic, the CEO of Honda and about a half other dozen car companies should go to jail for failing to make their cars more difficult to steal. And of course the guy who steals the car is just a scapegoat who we should actually be thanking for forcing car companies to install better locks.

    /.'er: Um, gee whiz, according to the approximation I gathered from my latest regression analysis using 84-bit fixed point math and my weighted neural network Beowulf Cluster, that is correct.

    Me: I see. And if someone breaks into your house by smashing a window, then the window manufacturer should be put in prison for failing to make the glass bullet-proof. And if the criminal walks off with your new TV then Sony should be sued because the TV didn't come with a chain and padlock. Well, now that we know what your computer thinks about all of this, have you tried applying some common sense to the issue?

    Blame everyone except the criminal. How Juvenile. How Slashdotish.

    -- LD

  212. Re:Generalizations about black men are funny ha ha by Henry+V+.009 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Actually, prison rape is a very racial thing. He was completely right to point out that it would almost certainly be large black men doing the raping. You see, the black gangs, and the Hispanic gangs, do not let anybody (else) touch members of their own race. The whites fail to form such gangs, and are victimized. Often the youngest white males, usually in for some sort of first time drug offence, are in the most danger. Check out the article Hard Time by Jared Taylor.

  213. He is in the Twin Cities by HongPong · · Score: 1

    It's just been reported by the AP that the kid is from St. Paul, Minn. This is kind of funny, as I work in IT in Minneapolis, and we've been speculating that the whole mess was written by Indonesian hackers or unemployed techies in California, rather than the locals. It is odd that some of the newspaper reports said that the Seattle FBI office was investigating the virus, rather than the Minneapolis office, which is of course the only FBI office competent enough to catch Al-Qaeda terrorists prior to 9/11.

  214. Scapegoat? by Attaturk · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Apart from the obvious "innocent until proven guilty" matter, how about we don't publicly hang some kid for tweaking a virus until we've found the real author and proved his/her guilt.

  215. Jeffrey Lee Parson aka "teekid" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0



    New York Times has much more information.

    "A court official in Minnesota identified the teenager as Jeffrey Lee Parson, 18, known online as ``teekid.'' A U.S. official in Washington also confirmed an arrest was made early Friday."

    Here's a trojan thread, for starters.

  216. F*ck off, RedBear by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    subsequently violently raped repeatedly by multiple large black men

    While your overall point is well-taken, you're a fucking stupid racist asshole, as is whoever modded you 5 "Insightful"

  217. Here's the kid's info from WHOIS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Domain: t33kid.com

    Registrant (JP397-IYD-REG)
    Jeff Parson
    root@t33kid.com
    603 8th Ave S.
    Hopkins, Minnesota 55343 US

  218. name released by kguilber · · Score: 0

    The story is kind of thin on details. The next day, they noted he was from Minnesota, and released his name (click).

  219. And here's the Google cache of his site by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://216.239.53.104/search?q=cache:FEZleHDR3mcJ: t33kid.com

    What an idiot. Practically turned his own pimply ass in.

    1. Re:And here's the Google cache of his site by Chatmag · · Score: 1

      Obviously that kid was at the glue strip of his intellectual envelope.

      --
      Pete Carr Owner Chatmag.com
  220. And here's his phone number by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    R Parson ---- hi dad!
    (952) 938-5115

    603 8th Ave S, Hopkins, MN 55343

  221. What law was broken? by geekoid · · Score: 1

    What law is broken when a virus is released? Is there one? Is it illegal to make a self propagating computer program?

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  222. Re:He is in the Twin Cities - here's his info by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Domain: t33kid.com

    Registrant (JP397-IYD-REG)
    Jeff Parson
    root@t33kid.com
    603 8th Ave S.
    Hopkins, Minnesota 55343 US

    Google cache of his site:
    http://216.239.53.104/search?q=cache:FEZleH DR3mcJ: t33kid.com

    Dad's phone number: R Parson -(952) 938-5115

  223. Arrest has been made by meridoc · · Score: 1

    From the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

    --
    "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." -- Albert Einstein
    1. Re:Arrest has been made by Deception · · Score: 1

      There is another article on CNN

      It revealed his nick as "teekid".. Search google to find some related posts and sites on him.. The fool even put "teekid" in his variation of the worm.

      Seems he also defaced/hacked this website: Minnesota Government Finance Officers Association

  224. What?? by John+Seminal · · Score: 1

    He deserves everything he gets. That is how prisons are. He knew that prisons were bad before he wrote the virus. I hope they throw the book at him and someone beats the hell out of him behind bars. I hope he has the worst 10 years of his life behind bars. People like him cost everyone else lots of money and time and fustration. If society can eliminate these kinds of drains, then the whole world will be a better place. Lets face it, this kid does not deserve any sympathy.

    --

    Rosco: "If brains were gunpowder, Enos couldn't blow his nose."

    1. Re:What?? by mindstrm · · Score: 1

      Is an 18 year old kid aware of this? Why, cause he saw some prison movies on TV? TV never lies, right?

      Yes, it was destructive. Yes, a lot of people were inconvenienced. Do we think this person is therefore as guilty as a rapist or murderer? There is no doubt that this person caused financial damage.. but that's it. How about the responsibility of those who allowed such critical systems to be at risk? Is it the kids fault a transit system was vulnerable to a virus, hooked up to the internet, or not following proper security practices? You can't blame the entire thing on one kid.

      That doesn't exhonerate him, but it's not all his fault, either.

    2. Re:What?? by John+Seminal · · Score: 1

      Yes, by the time an adult reaches 18, they should be aware of what a crime is. The criminal should thank his lucky stars he is in the USA and not some other country where meals in prisons are optional. He has to pay for what he did, and it must send a clear signal to everyone else that this behavior is unacceptable, and anyone who does it will go to jail. The argument you make about the system being at risk, does not hold water. What if I buy a cheap front door to my house. Does that excuse the criminal because it is easier to break into than a steel door? For all I care, Microsoft could have written an OS that was easy to hack, and that would not lessen the crime. And he did more than just cost money. From what I was reading, public transportation systems were affected, a nuclear silo was infected, hospitals were effected, my college's internal system was off for 2 hours while they purged the system. And even if the only cost was money, that is still good enough reason to send him to jail. We send car theives to jail for stealing a $10,000 clunker, and this guy caused millions in damage. The point stands that he is a criminal and deserved a harsh punishment.

      --

      Rosco: "If brains were gunpowder, Enos couldn't blow his nose."

    3. Re:What?? by mindstrm · · Score: 1

      Ahh. SO he should be responsible because others had faulty security setups. I see.

      Yes, he is responsible, but only to a degree.

      Furthermore, it seems to me that in the United States of America, people are not really considered adults until they are 21.. you don't let them drink alcohol before that, do you? If you aren't responsible enough to drink... how can you be responsible for your own actions? Just a thought.

      Yes, I realize that at 18 you are an "adult" but this shows that, especially in the US, this isn't the case for all things.

      Yes, lots of systems were affected, nobody is denying that... but some of those systems were affected because they sucked, not because of what this guy did. Furthermore, saying he caused millions in damages means a lot less when you consider how spread out that damage was. For instance, my company had 100 computers infected, and usre, we put in an extra hour or two to fix it up... but in general, it was a normal week at work, and we aren't out anything. Should I say he caused $5000 damages to our company because of the time my co-workers and I spent cleaning up? Not really, we would have been here and paid anyway.

    4. Re:What?? by John+Seminal · · Score: 1
      Drinking has nothing to do with it. Who cares at what age you can drink? It has nothing to do with responsibility. BTW, in the USA people as young as 12 or 13 have been tried as adults. That is the reality. You break the law, you go to jail.

      And who cares how weak the security was. The fact is he had no right to do anything to anyone elses system. If I leave my front door unlocked, and someone trespasses, does that lessen the crime? I think that all criminals are scumbags because they can not follow the rules. And if someone can not follow the rules they belong in jail.

      --

      Rosco: "If brains were gunpowder, Enos couldn't blow his nose."

    5. Re:What?? by dswensen · · Score: 1

      How about I break into your house and smash up some of your stuff, then say it's your fault because your locks aren't durable enough?

      When you're deliberately setting out to damage a system, it doesn't matter how secure that system is to begin with. A crime doesn't stop being a crime because the door was unlocked or the safety was off or the code was badly written.

  225. Could you cite some of these studies? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You say "..study after study...", but really, I would appreciate some resources for these 'studies'....thx in advance

    me

  226. Its MSBlaster NOT Blaster by Mooncaller · · Score: 3, Informative

    Stop propagating the MS spin. Just because MS has convinced the mainstream media and the Anti-virus software houses ( whos entire buisness is dependent on MS) to change the name does not mean everyone needs to do the same. The only true name for the virus is MSBlaster.

    1. Re:Its MSBlaster NOT Blaster by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      MSBlaster is stupid sounding.

      I'll continue to call it blaster because it's easier to say.

  227. You missed the point... by John+Seminal · · Score: 1

    Prison is supposed to be hell. It is not supposed to be fun or easy. And remember, it is not the jailers who rape, it is the other losers who were convicted of crimes. What do all criminals share in common? The have no concern for others. So you get stuck in a place where nobody cares if you like it or not. I hope they nail the SOB who wrote the virus.

    --

    Rosco: "If brains were gunpowder, Enos couldn't blow his nose."

  228. Re:If by TrixX · · Score: 1

    so ***World crippled by 18 year old*** makes you feel much better about it?

  229. AHA - the answer by Thadddius_Brinks · · Score: 1

    My President, I think We finally have evidence of Iraqi possetion of Weapons Of Mass Distruction.......;

  230. No sympathy for companies that were hosed... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    'ya know, I have next to no sympathy for the companies that were caught by Blaster and wish that more of these little devastating buggers were written and released. What's the point in pesimizing shitty software if it never gets exploited? Microsoft releases a bad product, then companies should chase after Microsoft for the holes in its software, not the guy who exploited the bug. Sure Microsoft had released a fix, but if the company didn't have firewalls or a way to update their infrastructure... I just have zero sympathy for them.

    Until next time the circus starts, --Being Monitored

    1. Re:No sympathy for companies that were hosed... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      You are not just wrong, you are completely f*cking wrong.

      My small Internet company feeds my family, our revenues are down dramatically this month, undoubtedly because this s-head decided to be "cool" (likely for the very individual who allegedly turned him into the FBI). Anything that intentionally causes millions of dollars of damage to any economy and impacts so many businesses cannot be anything else but a form of terrorism.

      If he was such a "pro" he should have informed the vendor of the weakness, received the credit, and found a good job with any number of Internet security firms who employ real talent. But given the description, the fat slob probably was unpresentable even for the back room.

      And no, we were not "caught" by the worm, but we were sure as hell impacted by it as were hundreds of thousands if not millions of other companies.

      I say make a real example of this miscreant and give him time at a hard core federal prison without access to a computer. At 18, this fellow is an adult and should be dealt with accordingly to the fullest extend of the law.

      Doing so might even have a side benefit for those who disturb networks with masive spam - perhaps for them a preview into the state of things to come.

      There are many people smarter than either of us and most of those who will view this message who easily could create such "products", but it takes more brains, skill and ability to create than to destroy - a professional understands this, a common criminal vandal does not.

    2. Re:No sympathy for companies that were hosed... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That all you are about is your fucking money. You could not even begin to understand freedom and justice. All the idiots effected by this virus had the freedom to update and patch their systems. It is not the FBI's job to save idiots from themselves, by arresting people with the intelligence to express their freedom. All this virus did was go tap, tap on your system if your system collapsed because of that it was a joke to begin with.

    3. Re:No sympathy for companies that were hosed... by Cheech+Wizard · · Score: 2, Insightful

      So - if I break into your house and burglarize it, the police should simply tell you that you had the 'freedom' to better protect yourself' and the police should not get involved. Heck - They'd be saving you from yourself if they did.

  231. Re:Whoa. Call the NSA. Call the Guiness Book of Re by slide-rule · · Score: 1

    Heck... call Jay Leno! Finally some intelligent answers may be forthcoming.

  232. Obligatory Simpsons Quote by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    this will cause others like him to think twice.

    HOMER'S SUBCONCIOUS: I want some peanuts.
    HOMER: That's better!

    No, realy, you think people will think twice before writing a virus^H^H^H^H^Hmalicious application? I think they are already thinking more than twice. I imagine they are compiling a hundred times and debugging a thousand times! I think whatever motivates them to write a malicious application is obviously their patriotic way of saying "Fuck you people, this is what happens when you coerced me to choose a high-school career in your list and not let me choose to train my sub-concious thesis for becoming a seaweed farmer or hampster caresser."

    There is a reason for every retaliation. From all the conspiracy papers I read, for example Timothy McVeigh wasn't even near the Oklahoma City Federal Building and that he was protesting the unlawful Democracy. The same goes for how greenpeace would retaliate against someone for seeing them harpoon a whale! The point I'm making, is there is always a semi-legitimate reason for everything that happens. I know I sounded like a troll for merely mentioning McVeigh and Greenpeace, yet please forgive as I'm simply giving this 18-year-old man benefit of the doubt to allow him to justify his cause for writing such a malicious application. To conclude with what I say, perhaps I would like to complete an analysis of the principles behind the people that are damaged by any and all Blaster Worms and derivatives. In one of my favorite books, titled "Art of Computer Programming ... Donald E. Knuth" there is a quote from Bill Gates on the rear of the book saying "If you're a realy good programmer...read [Knuth's] Art of Computer Programming...You should definitely send me a resume if you can read the whole thing. -Bill Gates". My question, did this 18 year-old man read Donald Knuth's book? Is Bill Gates just a leach and this alleged filthy and ignorant and soon-to-be-federaly-raped 18 year-old man just somone with a hatchet to bury in someone's head and figure it only accomplishable to build somthing that throws beeeeelions of hatchets automatically for you at everyone around hoping to hit the one you want? Or are we just having fun here, laughing at Bill Gates' merit-less operating system and advertisments on Slashdot for Bill Gates' meritless Windows 2003, and lauding at how intelligent we think we are just for speculating on this 18 year-old man's life when neither of us would fare as well if we had the same motivation and were caught.

    They're not discussing reperations for his transgression or sin, this 18 year-old man knows somthing that perhaps none of us know and the only way to accomplish was to *boom* Blaster, yet he'll be just another 18 year-old man buried in debtor's prison, one of those ol' saps you'll never see and when you do his eyes will be white, blind, scronny, and beaten unconcious every day and forced to eat feces. That is your goddess Justice.

  233. Ready for a world of pain indeed... by yoho_jones · · Score: 1

    Get ready to be "Blaster"ed in the ass... Keep a tight grip on that soap boy...

    1. Re:Ready for a world of pain indeed... by RevSmiley · · Score: 1

      At 300+ pounds his ass crack is safe.

      --
      As you can see I don't care about my karma.
  234. SUS people by rabtech · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I highly suggest that ANYONE dealing with Microsoft products go setup SUS right now. (Software Update Services). It's a server that runs on the local network and pushes updates out to all Win2K/XP clients. Microsoft has not been idle and has actively been releasing new tools (Urlscan, Baseline Security Analyzer, SUS, etc)

    1. Install SUS on one of your servers. Let it sync its updates, then log in and approve whatever updates you want to go out. Also set it up to automatically grab new updates from Microsoft every night.

    2. In Active Directory, create a new group policy applied to the container that has all of your machines in it, or even to the entire enterprise. In this policy, add the Sus client MSI file to the software push (assign it).

    3. Download the SUS ADM file, and import it in the group policy editor snapin. You will now see a new item under System Components - Windows Update. Select it, and set your options.... what server to go to, whether to install without user intervention (like every night at 3:00 am), and so on.

    There are (free) log analyzers that will scan the log files and stuff the data into a SQL database, then produce a report from it detailing what machines installed what patches, what patches failed, and so on.

    There really is no excuse. Once you do this, the ONLY thing you need to do is login to SusAdmin and approve updates from time to time (or use the hack to make it approve updates automatically every time they arrive.) This makes it a painless, easy, and foolproof process to patch all the Win2K/XP machines on your network.

    --
    Natural != (nontoxic || beneficial)
  235. Stupid. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't think anything should happen to the kid.

    Who cares?

    It's everyone's fault for not patching their stuff.

    Seriously, it is.

    Argue against it all you want, but when it comes down to attacks, holes, and exploits, no one's to blame but the "victims".

    I hope there's a huge virus written for each and every critical update that MS releases.

    1. Re:Stupid. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, but it doesn't matter what you think. He's still going to jail.

    2. Re:Stupid. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not if he shoots the police in the face before they get to him.

      Or wait.. yeah, he'd still go to jail.

      He could kill himself too, I suppose.

  236. Right... by mindstrm · · Score: 1

    It's not supposed to be pleasant. But it's not supposed to be torture either.

    When we put someone in prison, it's to take away their freedom to do more damage. IT's not supposed to be FUN.. it's supposed to be a simple existence. You eat, shit, and breathe.

    However, knowing that in the federal pen you will be sodomized, beaten, tattood, and basically have a really shitty inhumane existance... sentencing someone to federal prison is the same thing as sentencing them to rape, beatings, and torture, both physically and mentally.

    1. Re:Right... by Jaycatt · · Score: 1

      I completely agree with you. In fact, since prisoner rape is pretty much a given these days, I think courtroom judges should take it into account when sentencing people.

      --
      "Shared pain is lessened; shared joy is increased. Thus we refute entropy" - Spider Robinson
    2. Re:Right... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I would argue that since rape and murder are seen as *acceptable* consequences of going to prison, any prison sentence is, by its very nature, a sentence which knowingly includes rape and murder. This makes sentencing someone to prison unconstitutional and illegal as a prison sentence, since it knowingly includes rape and murder, is cruel and unusual punishment.

    3. Re:Right... by buck_wild · · Score: 1

      So why do you think that this is not more of a deterrent to potential crimincals?

      "Hm, if this does what I think it'll do and I'm caught, I could go to jail. Ah, hell with it! *clicks Send*

      --
      If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
  237. Blaster Writer from Minnesota? by johnny_cobol · · Score: 1

    The Minneapolis Star Tribune is reporting (registration free but required) that the FBI has arrested a "teenager" from suburban Minneapolis, Minnesota (Hopkins, MN).

  238. Re:If by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wow.

    You seem pretty angry!

    I guess you'll have a better setup in the future, eh guy?

  239. the function of prision? by MegaFur · · Score: 1

    I have some problems with various parts of your post, but I'll just focus on the last part here:

    On the other hand, nobody ever said prison was supposed to be all Tea and Crumpets, either: it's punishment for crimes committed and convicted. . .

    I often tend to think of prision as punishment as well, but even this (supposedly simple) point is not without contention. I ask you: Is the purpose of a prision to rehabilite people or is it to punish them? You'll probably say, "both" but does that really make sense?

    If the purpose is really just to punish then why do we even bother? Punishment is not all that effective a deterrent. Why not just kill every one that ever gets sent to prision? (I'm not being serious here.)

    No answers here, just a bunch of discussion questions.

    --
    Furry cows moo and decompress.
    1. Re:the function of prision? by charon_on_acheron · · Score: 1

      Here's a topic I've written on before. You ask "why not just kill every one that ever gets sent to prison?" I say, kill almost everyone that gets sent to prison.

      First, I don't think the government has the right to make drugs, prostitution or gambling illegal. Also, jailing someone for not paying taxes on their 'illegal' income is absurd. If it's taxed, it's legal, in my opinion. So, these few changes would keep many people out of prison to start with.

      Second, capitol punishment should apply to every serious crime, including murder, rape, grand theft, grand theft auto, extortion, child molestation, and armed or unarmed robbery. No more of this rehabilitation scheme for these people, just take them out of society forever. And I don't even care if they have a lame excuse like "a chemical imbalance in the brain", "childhood abuse", "I was stoned", or whatnot. If they are not safe for society, and have proven so, kill them. Make society safe for a change.

      Third, every defendant should then have a much better defense than is generally available now. Not a sleazier lawyer, but a smarter lawyer. If a camera shows the defendant killing someone, it's hard to disprove. But if the crime happened at night in a dark alley, and the videotape was filmed in the daytime with noon-time shadows, the lawyer should be able to figure out it's a fake. All evidense that can show DNA should be tested by a independant lab, and if the defense doesn't believe the results, the government pays for a lab the defense chooses.

      Fourth, anyone who lies in sworn testimony in these cases is helping to kill a possibly innocent person. That is at least attempted murder, to be punishable by a couple decades in jail. If the defendant is convicted and executed, the person who lied on the stand is guilty of murder, and should be tried, convicted, and executed. You think Mark Furman would have made such stupid lies in the OJ case if that was the rule? This part would have to be strictly enforced, even if it's a cop who lied, and has to face the punishment.

      Fifth, all appeals based on courtroom activity have to be written as one appeal, and submitted within one month of conviction. Appeals based on further research by the defense team or others have to be filed within one year of the conviction date. The court of appeal will decide within one month on whether the appeal has merit. If the appeals court denies the appeal, and the defense sends it up to the state or federal supreme court, it must do so with one month. The execution will of course be postponed until the appeals are resolved, but in no case will be within one year of conviction. If that doesn't give enough time to find more evidense of innocence, too bad.

      Sixth, the argument of "It's better for 10 guilty men to go free, than for 1 innocent man to go to jail," is out-dated. I say it's better that 10 guilty men go to jail, than for 20 innocent children to be raped and murdered. It's not a place for compassion anymore, not when I can't let my daughter out of my sight at the mall without wondering if I will ever see her alive again. And someone asked me lately, what if I was falsely convicted for murder and faced execution, would I still feel the same way. I told her that I would of course still feel the same way. If this system was in place, 99% of the murders and rapes that happen each year would not happen. If my death meant that my daughter was allowed to grow up without facing those two threats, I would gladly pay that price. What parent wouldn't?

      Finally, for those who still think 50% of people on death row are actually innocent, I ask "Innocent of what?" Some of them may be innocent of the crime they are actually convicted of, but there was a reason the cops looked at them to start with. Most people on death row have a long history of crime, from petty theft like purse-snatching, to rape, and other murders. That's not innocent in my book. Do you remember the "petty" purse-snatching a few years ago of a German tourist in Florida? The lady was drug under the crooks' car by her purse strap, and she died. That's what those 'innocent' people on death row are being punished for, their older crimes have caught up to them.

  240. UPDATE: He's arrested by prostoalex · · Score: 1

    Seattle Times

    U.S. cyber investigators arrested a Minnesota teenager today who the FBI said has admitted unleashing one version of a damaging virus-like infection weeks ago on the Internet.

    A court official identified the teenager as Jeffrey Lee Parson, 18, of Hopkins, Minn., known online as "teekid." A U.S. official in Washington also confirmed an arrest was made early today.

  241. viruses spread like fire by MegaFur · · Score: 1

    I think what he did was more like arson not terrorism. He should get a sentence similar to the kind that an 18 yr old arsonist would get.

    --
    Furry cows moo and decompress.
    1. Re:viruses spread like fire by ivanmarsh · · Score: 1

      An 18 year old arsonist that attempted to burn down the infrastructure of the country perhaps... or one count of "arson" per incident which in the case of this worm numbers in the hundreds of millions.

      It's treasonous behaviour that was aimed at disabling/disrupting vital services (even if that wasn't the intension) and that's domestic terrorism by any definition.

    2. Re:viruses spread like fire by MegaFur · · Score: 1
      An 18 year old arsonist that attempted to burn down the infrastructure of the country perhaps... or one count of "arson" per incident which in the case of this worm numbers in the hundreds of millions.

      You must be psychic. How is it you can see inside this youngster's mind so well? How can you be sure what his motivations and intentions were? Judging from the message inside the .exe, I'm thinking maybe his motivation was to tell Bill Gates he has bad software.

      It's treasonous behaviour that was aimed at disabling/disrupting vital services (even if that wasn't the intension) and that's domestic terrorism by any definition.

      Since when did arson become treason? Now I know you're trolling. Either that or you've lost touch with reality on a basic level. (Do you work for SCO?) Further, you contradict yourself when you say that the behaviour was "aimed at disabling/disrupting" followed by "even if that wasn't the intention".

      yourdictionary.com defines terrorism as

      The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.

      Note epsecially that by this definition, terrorism involves violence or the threat of violence. This teenager committed no voilent act nor did he threaten to do so. Also, treason and terrorism are very different things, and the one does in no way imply the other.

      Next time you want to rant, please get your definitions straight first. Thanks for playing.

      --
      Furry cows moo and decompress.
  242. "Ergo open your mouth one more time... by TheTranceFan · · Score: 1
    ...and I'm gonna architect a world of pain all over your candyass!!!"

    /MTV Matrix Spoof, somehow seeming appropriate.

    _______________________
    Sigs are insiginificant.

  243. Re:Whoa. Call the NSA. Call the Guiness Book of Re by mrseigen · · Score: 1

    "Well, uh, I saw this computer thing that this kid was working on and I didn't understand what he was looking at because there were no pictures so I thought "OMFG HAX0RZ" and called the FBI."

  244. How Was He Caught? by SEWilco · · Score: 1

    The "young man" is from Hopkins, MN. A local TV station, WCCO, just reported that the kid renamed the .exe to his online name, and altered a web URL to point to his personal web site.
    Enough said.

  245. Re:"There is a terrorist behind every fear seller. by gughunter · · Score: 1

    You're wasting your figurative breath. America's war machine will not relent until the Ten Commandments monument is removed from the Baghdad courthouse.

  246. Already Arrested by horsie · · Score: 1

    Check the Yahoo story here

  247. I think he should walk. by emil · · Score: 1

    If everyone in town parks a Mercedes in front of their house with the doors open, the keys in the ignition and a welcome mat thrown down, does anybody in town have a right to complain when their cars are gone in the morning?

    In the same way, people are running an OS platform with a truly horrible security record. It's their own fault.

    1. Re:I think he should walk. by Keeper · · Score: 1

      If everyone in town parks a Mercedes in front of their house with the doors open, the keys in the ignition and a welcome mat thrown down, does anybody in town have a right to complain when their cars are gone in the morning?

      The scenario you describe is still theft. And someone who haves their property stolen are violated has every right to complain about it.

      There are actually cities which have special police squads that do exactly what you suggest -- there is a staged fight between a couple that arrive to a parkinglot in two cars -- one person leaves their car and enters the other car. The car that is left behind is unlocked, has the keys in the ignition, and THE ENGINE RUNNING.

      If someone gets in the car and drives off with it, they get busted for auto theft. (note: this is not entrapment, because the officers in question never say anything to the thief).

      Why? BECAUSE IT IS STILL THEFT.

      In the same way, people are running an OS platform with a truly horrible security record. It's their own fault.

      This is the kind of reasoning a criminal uses. "It's the victim's fault" ... "They were just asking for it" ... A crime is a crime. Just because it's easy to do doesn't make it any less of a crime.

    2. Re:I think he should walk. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Uh, yeah, great fucking logic. The people stealing these unlocked cars are still thieves, and they are still criminals, and they will still go to jail. Even if you put up a sign on your Mercedes that says 'STEAL THIS CAR', and I do, then I'm still guilty of theft.

  248. Enough, Already! by SEWilco · · Score: 1

    The U.S. District Attorney's Office requests that people stop having ClueBats delivered...

  249. TeeKid exposed? by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 1, Informative

    Jeffrey Lee Parson, 18, of Hopkins, Minn., known online as "teekid."

    Could this be our little perp?

    (from the TrojanForge.NET archive:
    "Teekid
    im looking for a verfy tiny irc bot that all it does is have a web download , and a very stable udp feature , thats it :) possibly in asm or c , like evilbot would be good , thats what im using now , but if you have more than 100 or so in 1 chan a bunch ping out , and it has some un-needed features (the icmp is shit)
    possibly open source would be good too :)"

    and

    [from the Google cache of t33kid.com]
    "my little p2p worm spreads via kazaa and imesh, downloads a file from web. No biggie."

    The actual page has ben.....taken down, shall we say.

    1. Re:TeeKid exposed? by bgspence · · Score: 1

      Here is his web page:

      http://216.239.53.104/search?q=cache:FEZleHDR3mc J: t33kid.com/+teekid&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

      And here is another good link:

      http://www.trojanforge.net/showthread/t-36.html

      Teekid
      my trojan archive is pretty large, i would like to see your archive bigger , so please download all you can , my archives = http://ta.t33kid.com. hope you find some you like. :)

      open a source code section on your site :) people love those.

  250. Mod parent down: Racist link to important material by naNoox · · Score: 3, Insightful

    While I initially found the article linked to be interesting (and appalling), I grew uncomfortable with what appeared to be a racist bent to the editorializing in the article.

    A Google search turns up the fact that Jared Taylor is considered "America's most dangerous racist." The rest of the American Renaissance site is full of erudite but clearly racist commentary.

    Yes, prison rape is appalling, but a better link for reference on the topic is this one for the original book on the subject, rather than a racist's view of the material.

  251. Yeah, but... by iamacat · · Score: 1

    Your $35/hour salary is (hopefully!) not in a computer field. Otherwise, you would be asking $17.50 for fixing your friend's computer and $0 for your own, because you installed a firewall and kept up to date with Windows Update.

    Sure, virus writters should be punished in some way, like a fine that is significant but not insane for their income. Your $245 is just because of how you chose to deal with the problem, and shouldn't be recognized as a reasonable expense by law.

  252. Where's the motive? by _aa_ · · Score: 1

    I'm all for the appropriate prosecution of individuals who exploit social and technical flaws for their personal gain. However I'm curious about the accountability of the manufacturers of the software whose flaws are exploited.

    Should not microsoft be at all responsible for releasing insecure products? I'm aware that 100% security is all but inconcievable. But short of saving face, what motivation do microsoft and similar companies have to produce secure products?

    If I build a building that is not up to fire code, and an arsonist sets my building on fire, and people get hurt, yes the arsonist gets arrested, but then I get sued and fined for not taking the appropriate measures to protect the inhabitants for such a calamity.

    Of course there are no fire codes for software, but does this mean that the publishers are without responsibility when their users get burned?

    1. Re:Where's the motive? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If it's 1's and 0's it can be hacked. MS gets hacked because it's on 99% of computers. Or, Are you weenies actually admitting that writing a virus that could spread on Linux is beyond your skill level.

  253. Re:Some thoughts on future virus and worm attacks. by mkldev · · Score: 1
    I'm suddenly reminded of a fake advertisement for "Virus Toolkit" in the book "Virus!" from the late 80s or early 90s. The book, which was a rather good read, talked about the history of certain viruses, worms, etc. including a long section on the first internet worm (Remember Robert Morris Jr.?) and how it did what it did. Anyway....

    --
    120 character sigs suck. Make it 250.
  254. Media-blitz acomming FBI are heros (NOT) by gone.fishing · · Score: 2, Interesting

    On tonight's TV news and in tomorrows newspapers we will see and hear headlines that tell us that the blaster author has been caught and that he faces a lengthy prison sentence. This is what most people will hear and understand. The few who dig deeper will learn that this kid took the worm and created a variant of it.

    What the kid allegidly did is wrong, if he did it, he deserves to be arrested, arraigned and go through the process and ultimately be punnished.

    I smell a smoke screen here. It seems to me like the FBI is making this arrest and getting the publicity here for their own purposes. By making an arrest and getting publicity, they are doing something for themselves. People will think the FBI actually caught the guy that did it. That isn't true. They caught a stupid individual who took the code, changed it, and re-released it.

    Now that the pressure is off, I doubt that the FBI will be able to afford many resources to keep hunting down the original author. They will keep some people on the case but the reality is that they will task most of the agents to other higher priority things now that this is going to the back burner.

    To me, the FBI has achieved their goal - to divert publicity away from themselves but, they have not achieved justice which is what I would expect of them.

  255. Jason Lee Parson, suspect by CPgrower · · Score: 1

    Hacker Suspect Bragged of Exploits

    Jason Lee Parson, the 18-year-old Minnesotan who was arrested Friday in connection with the Blaster worm, bragged of his exploits on his own Web site.

    Parson, who was known online as "teekid," is suspected of creating and releasing a third version of the Blaster worm, a malicious program that spread itself around the Internet using a viral engine bearing his online moniker, "teekids.exe."

    The Web site registered under his own name and Minnesota address -- www.t33kids.com -- is no longer up. But a cached version of his site on Google offers insight into the mind of a young hacker who was apparently proud of his work.

    While nothing on his site specifically references Blaster, Parson bragged about several of his recent creations, including a worm called "p2p.teekid.c" that spread over file-sharing networks like Kazaa and iMesh. The site also offered links allowing people to download and potentially tweak his malicious programs.

    "My little p2p worm spreads via Kazza and imesh, downloads a file from web. No biggee."

    Parson also apparently broke into the Web site of the Minnesota Governor's office, leaving the message "site hacked by Teekid."

    In an online forum, Teekid described himself as a "junior Trojaner." A Trojan horse is a malicious program that, when installed on a victim's computer, allows attackers to take complete control over the infected computer. One of the main alterations Parson allegedly made to the Blaster worm was the inclusion of a backdoor Trojan.

    reference

  256. Actually Denial of Service? by udecker · · Score: 1

    Something that I've been wondering recently - embedded in the worm was the message "bill gates how do you let this happen? stop making money and fix this!" and that it was setting up a DDOS attack on windowsupdate.com.

    Now, I haven't looked at the code to this worm, but is it possible that the "DDOS attack" that the worm was supposed to do was merely making sure every computer that was infected would load up windowsupdate.com and patch itself properly?

    From one perspective, this would be a DDOS, but on the other hand, it could be seen as a mass innoculation.

    How would journalists report the difference?

  257. Re:relevant limerick by Theaetetus · · Score: 1

    There once was a young college slacker, Who thought he'd become a 133T hacker. The Feds thought him lame- caught him at his game. His new roommate is now the ass-cracker.

  258. Re:If I had a larger cock, I could dream... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We are all scared at what you find "cute". It sounds like you're hoping for some prison time yourself there, big boy...

  259. Re:Cry Me a River by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wow. It almost sounds like you're saying "It's illegal because it's illegal" but that can't be right. Do you actually have complete faith in our judicial system? Don't you even care why the laws exist in the first place? That's just scary; following a law "because it's there". That's akin to anti-civil disobediance.

  260. Jared Taylor is a well known racist. by narratorDan · · Score: 1

    If you are going try to use factual information, don't use some racist's version of it. I just read that piece (Hard Time) and found many stereotypes and misleading racial statements.

    Jared Taylor is a new and dangerous type of American racist. Instead of using his fists and inciting violence, he uses spin and intellectual logic to make a case for racism.

    --
    "If you're not confused by quantum mechanics, you really don't understand it." - Niels Bohr
    1. Re:Jared Taylor is a well known racist. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, he is dangerous precisely BECAUSE he does not advocate violence and is not a Nazi or KKK or a member of White Power-type organizations. As such, one cannot simply denounce him for his (or his associates) despicable actions, like you would a KKK member. You must refute his arguments; you must read what he is saying, understand it and think about it, and that, obviously, takes far too much time.

  261. Prison is evil, the Bible speaks against prison... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Prison is an institution created by heathens, the enemies of my Father in Heaven (Jehova). I must not partake in your prison system and thus the laws I willfully accept and prohpess such are below as provided unto me by my Father's servants his church.

    Joshua 23:6
    "Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;"

    Yes, I agree to honor my Father and Mother (Matthew 24).

    Joshua 23:7
    "That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them"

    Yes I shall not bow to any false god or graven image. I recognize that Liberty is a Roman god furnished upon New York harbor and I shall not bow to them and shall not serve them. I recognize that Justice is a Roman god often instrumentalized as a blindfolded false god holding a balance and furnished upon the courtrooms of the false gods, and I shall not bow to them and I shall not serve them.

    Joshua 20
    "The LORD also spake unto Joshua, saying,
    Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses:
    That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
    And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.
    And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime.
    And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.
    And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.
    And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.
    These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any person at unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation.
    "

    I agree; any who commit a sin or transgression unto me or my neighbor shall not be infringed in any way until redressed for such grievance with further compliance with God's laws governing testimony.

  262. Stop bashing the kid by ehiris · · Score: 1

    Ok, he shouldn't have done that but the truth is that vulnerability HAD TO BE PATCHED. It was people's ignorance that caused the worm to be a worm in the first place.
    Would you have preferred that companies and government agencies which keep your confidential data or your own computer are completely open to anyone with knowledge of the exploit at their liking?
    Stop bitching and keep your system up to date.

    1. Re:Stop bashing the kid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Good Grief shut up!! I suppose you would think that the DC snipers should be let go since they were just exploiting the fact that the common citizen is not equipped with bulletproof bodysuits.

  263. Why send him to jail? by ratfynk · · Score: 1

    You would think Symantec should send him a check. For services rendered.

    --
    OH THE SHAME I fell off the wagon and use sigs again!
    1. Re:Why send him to jail? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Some people lost money on this and some people made money. Overall, this virus added to the economy and helped improve security. This guy should run for President.

  264. Jail by panic911 · · Score: 1

    Too bad there's not more geeks in jail, so this guy can really get what's coming to him (an ass kicking [or ramming]). There's probably nobody in jail who will have any comprehension of what he did.

  265. True, but by phorm · · Score: 1

    It's not that they wouldn't do anything else... it's just that if a person had a significant other (and a relationship decent enough to get lucky), then said person would hopefully have something better to do than do dipshit things like creating viruses.

    Getting laid certainly hasn't distracted me from coding, or games, it's part of who I am and what I do... but as per stupid things such as virus writing... well a g/f is a much better thing. Virus writing for many is a cheap thrill... generally representing a lack of other forms of entertainment

  266. MOD PARENT UP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    All these comments posted claiming this kid is innocent obviously haven't run a google search yet for "teekid"... Quite a few of his antics, including defacing the Minnesota Government Finance Officers Association page are still in the google cache.

    I think the FBI deserves props for catching this guy, even if he's not the original author, he was still up to no good and one less script kiddie is one less script kiddie.

  267. Re:Cry Me a River by commodoresloat · · Score: 1
    Everyone knows that prison sucks and that there are good chances that you will encounter sexual assault and humiliation. This in fact, is a major deterrent to crime and going to prison.

    Can you please name one U.S. judge who has ever sentenced a criminal to the punishment of rape?

  268. Check him out in the Minneapolis Star Tribune by Lucretius · · Score: 1

    The Minneapolis Star Tribune has a story on this as well. They were also able to nab a picture of the dude from the local yearbook.

    Personally, I still don't understand why you would ever include a bit in the virus that links to your own personal webpage. Talk about an easy way to get caught!!

    marc
  269. Stop calling this kid stupid by superpulpsicle · · Score: 1

    It amazes me that so many people would call this kid stupid. You can't be that dumb to write and spread something this bad this effectively.

    The kid lacks some serious ethics... but damn don't call him stupid. He's doing things to windows many /.ers here would dream of.

  270. There are many aspects to a just punishment. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Of course he should be punished fittingly for the crime, but that includes some additional punishment ALL the variants of the virus based on his work. It's forseeable that other a-hole virus writers would create variants to cause similar damage and they wouldn't have that opportunity but for the actions of the original virus writer. While most of the blame for the resulting damage from the variants would properly be apportioned to the variants' writers, the original writer still bears part of the blame. If you steal a stop sign and someone dies in a traffic accident as a result, you're not just going to get charged with theft buddy.

  271. I guess that GPL-haters were right... by Dimensio · · Score: 1

    The GPL really is a viral license.

  272. Not right by teekid · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Got a few minutes of access here with a cellphone. This is completely wrong. All I did was examine the Blaster worm and make a few changes. My changes got released into the wild, and now I'm going to jail for it. My parents are trying to get a lawyer; I think that's my only hope.

    I'm not the one who wrote the Blaster worm. My variant only affected a few computers, and never would have done that if the Blaster worm didn't exist. This is not my fault, but they're making me take the blame for everything this worm has done.

    How are we ever going to advance as a society if we keep penalizing people for just trying to learn how code works?

    1. Re:Not right by teekid · · Score: 0

      How was that offtopic? I'm just trying to explain; I'm not the original author of the worm. I just modified it! I'm not the guy who caused all this trouble!

      Please help get me out of jail!

    2. Re:Not right by Guppy06 · · Score: 1

      Assuming you are who you claim to be (which I doubt)...

      "This is completely wrong. All I did was examine the Blaster worm and make a few changes."

      Oh no! Somebody's being held accountable for their own actions or lack thereof! The humanity!

      Don't worry, son. I'm sure your lawyer will just trot out the ol' "EverQuest made me do it!" defense. No jury in the world would convict after that.

    3. Re:Not right by teekid · · Score: 0

      Hold someone accountable for not patching their machines. Hold someone accountable for their machines propagating the worm through their inaction.

      I had no idea it was going to come to this; I just wanted to examine the virus to see how it worked. Now I'm facing legal action I don't even know how to deal with.

  273. Re:Cry Me a River by halo8 · · Score: 1

    thanx.. you just made my point

    you speed.. you have broken the law, you didnt go to "pound-me-in-the-ass-prision" this time.. but keep it up and you will.

    even though you will serving time as punishment for something you did because you knew the consequences of breaking thoes laws regardless that most ppl in this world break thoes law you decided to break the law, i will still show compassion and sympathy for your plight.

    why? because im a human, not a heartless prick.

    --
    The More Knowledge you have the Luckier you Get- J.R. Ewing
  274. Seriously? Nader fixed the Pinto? by TheAncientHacker · · Score: 1

    Let's put it in perspective, Ralph Nader wrote "Unsafe at any Speed" about the Chevrolet Corvair's swing axle suspension. Of course, by the time he wrote it, the Corvair was no longer using that suspension but Ralph took the credit for "changing the auto industry". You bought into it enough to give him credit for fixing the Pinto which was shipped broken by your "up to safety standards" auto industry almost 20 years after Ralph "fixed it".

    Oh, and to use your auto analogy, the equivalent for Microsoft's actions with Blaster would be:

    A defect is found in a few Fords
    Ford issues a fix before anybody has the fault show up
    Ford goes door to door to every owner's house and every business' garage and offers to fix the defect for free
    Some of the owners refuse to let the defect get fixed despite the Ford repair crew waiting in their front yard 24/7 for a couple of months
    After months of the owners' refusal in fixing the defect, it breaks
    The owners who repeatedly refused the free repair then yell at Ford

    1. Re:Seriously? Nader fixed the Pinto? by Slack3r78 · · Score: 1

      Check out my post a couple up from yours. There was nothing wrong with the Corvair. Nader invented a problem because he needed publicity. Ralph didn't fix anything, as what he claimed was broken was perfectly fine to begin with. You are correct that Nader's book was released in '65 while GM had already redesigned the rear suspension by '64, but to me, that doesn't change anything. Nader has built his entire career off that lie (I can't think of anything else to call it), and while he may have good intentions, it surprises me someone like Nader would take a Machiavellian approach to... well... anything.

  275. 6'4" 300+ lbs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Damn...damn.

  276. Re:Mod parent down: Racist link to important mater by Henry+V+.009 · · Score: 1

    Yes, I should have pointed that out. Jared Taylor is a racist, but I would add certain qualifications to that term. He is no Nazi or KKK member or even anti-Semitic -- that is what earns him the title of "most dangerous," or so I heard when NPR interviewed him a while back. The argument is that by not advocating violence or legal discrimination, he makes racism more respectable. I certainly disagree with a number of things that he says, but he says nothing that would be considered racist were he Black, American Indian, or Hispanic. At least so far as I have read in his work. The worst thing I could say about him is that he is a separatist -- in that he believes in the failure of people in multicultural societies to get along together peacefully. I have read some of the American Renaissance articles on the site. Some I disagree with vehemently, but others I couldn't recommend more. He talks about race honestly. He believes in racial differences. And he believes that he should act to support his own race. I am not prepared to condemn him so long as he sticks to that particular stance.

    I pointed out his article because the black-white dimension of prison rape is real and ignored. If I knew someone other than Taylor who wrote about it, I would have pointed that out instead. In fact that is the best argument I can make for at least considering his viewpoints. Taylor often writes about extremely important subjects that are otherwise ignored because of our ideology.

  277. Updated analogy by TheAncientHacker · · Score: 1
    Actually, the analogy is closer to:
    • A defect is found in a few Fords that defeats the anti-theft locks
    • Ford issues a recall notice and a fix before anybody has the fault show up
    • Ford goes door to door to every owner's house and every business' garage and offers to fix the defect for free whenever the car isn't being used
    • Some of the owners refuse to let the defect get fixed despite the Ford repair crew waiting in their front yard 24/7 for a couple of months
    • Some business fleet manager refuse to allow Ford to fix the defect because "they know better" about what should and shouldn't be fixed
    • The same fleet managers also prohibit their drivers and mechanics from getting the cars fixed
    • After months of the owners' and fleet managers refusal in fixing the defect, it breaks
    • Thieves takes advantage of the broken locks
    • The owners and managers who let Ford fix their cars go about life as usual
    • The owners and managers who repeatedly refused the free repair then yell at Ford while quietly respecting the thief for his initiative
  278. Stop Crying!! by puppetier · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Connect to the internet at your own risk! A virus is simple a service provided you choose to accept. Sure there's no fancy dialog that ask you if you want to get infected but just by connecting to the internet and knownly running insecure software you are agreeing to anything that can happen to you. The internet is free ground, you can't govern it and no laws apply, i'm sorry to break it to you but you can't whine about what has happened here, it's your fault for connecting to the internet and knownly using insecure software. If you don't want a virus, shutdown, seriously. So stop blaming the author. He/She can only be liable for infections that he/she directly physically applied, all the rest is the fault of those that chose to accept it.

    if you don't understand how the author isn't liable, it works like this.

    The internet is Free ground, no laws, no government, anything goes. The virus author infects a computer, then the computer sends it out to the internet. Right there is where the liablity ends for the author. Because now it's up to an other computer to accept whats coming. Unless the author physically puts the virus in the computer through none 'internet' means then they can't be liable. It was the computer's choice to accpect what was coming from the internet, and so it's liable, but since a computer can't be liable and you are liable for your own computer then you are liable for getting infected, and infecting other computers that are connected through any law governed medium, anything except the internet. Again, your now infected computer sends the infection out through the internet, there now your liablity ends, you aren't liable for those infections. And it keeps going on. So it boils down to that everyone that got infected is equally liable as the author or more, because once that virus goes through the internet all liablity for it is dropped because no laws can apply to it. Think about it. It's comparible to open waters, or something that happens out in space or on another planet.

    1. Re:Stop Crying!! by indefinite · · Score: 1

      So if I get smallpox (or some other disease) and die because someone intentionally released it in New York it is my fault because i didn't take the vaccine?

    2. Re:Stop Crying!! by lordDogma · · Score: 2
      Ah, I see. So an arsonist who burns down 5000 acres of forest can only be held liable for the first tree that he sets on fire. It isn't the arsonist's fault that all of the other trees are so flamable that they caught fire due to a little wind!

      That's right - blame the trees!

      Let me guess - you're one of those people who think that the "root cause" of terrorism is poverty and hopelessness.

      -- LD

    3. Re:Stop Crying!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. The Internet is not some lawless fantasy land. It is a bunch of computers connected together by wires (mostly). Every ISP makes you agree to a set of rules before you can attach to their computers.

    4. Re:Stop Crying!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A computer virus is not a disease, it is a computer program. What it does is it enters unlocked systems. If you leave your system unlocked you are allowing all to enter. You are lucky that this guy didn't format your drive, but instead just caused you a nusance. It is really dumb for large corporations and government organization to leave their files unlocked. It is a good thing to have people like this guy from time to time create some nusance virus to show everyone how vulnarabe they are. If kids like this can do it, you can be sure that there are crime orgs doing it do; and they aren't doing it to get famous or laid.

    5. Re:Stop Crying!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Exactly, the internet is a Free Ground that is going to quickly become unfree ground due to the lack of self control of jackases like this monkey boy and philosophies like yours. Please take a trip to the top of a tall building and exercise your right to the free services of gravity.

    6. Re:Stop Crying!! by puppetier · · Score: 1

      You all obviously don't understand my point.

      yeah if someone sets a bunch of trees on fire and you die in the fire from a tree that was 100km from where the person set them on fire, it's not the tree's fault, of course it's the guy who set the tree on fire. But you have to think of this situation as if there are 100 people in a line and they each have their own tree, now the first person sets his own tree on fire and then tells the guy next to him to set his tree on fire and then he does it and then he tells the next guy to set his tree on fire and it goes on until finally it gets down to the end and some guy, say, has a bush and he sets it on fire and gets burned, he can only blame himself for being a fucken idiot and listening to the guy next to him to set his own tree on fire. You have to understand this at a technical level, the computers are accepting the virus, and you are letting them accept it by a) not securing your system and/or b) connecting it to a medium where there is the risk. A computer is a drone and you are solely responsible for what it does unless someone directly controls it.

      and the internet will always be a free place as long as there are sperate countries, because whos gonna control it? Microsoft? fuck on, if the people don't like it they make a "new" internet. it's pretty simple guys.

  279. The Smoking Gun is there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  280. So what? - Sobig writer is a much bigger catch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Although the MSBlaster worm did it's share of damage, I feel it did more good by keeping M$ on their toes.

    The Sobig is much worse, and the irony is that it would be easier to catch anyone controlling the trojans it installs.

  281. Sentencing Suggestion..... by HutchGeek · · Score: 1
    I think the way the US gov't shoudl handle sentencing for this kid, and the real originator of the worm is simple.

    Forget fines.
    Forget jail time.
    Forget community service.

    Just turn em over to a mob of sysadmins who had to deal with the dammned thing.
    I'm suite sure they could come up with something do do with them. (Like seeing how many transitors they could shove up his ass...)

    1. Re:Sentencing Suggestion..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean the moron admins who didn't patch their systems.

  282. Talking with the Warden... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    WARDEN: Well, it turns out you were telling the true and didn't make the MSBLASTER worm. You are free to go...
    DETAINEE: Oh boy! Gee thanks misstter (thinks, what a sucker). It was nice staying here for the past evening with the yummy hot grits for lunch (thinks, I'll be back on /. in no-time). Goodbye! (losers)
    WARDEN: oh but I'm not done yet...
    DETAINEE: (frightened) But, you said I didn't make MSBLASTER and that I'm free to go?
    WARDEN: You were caught studying and manipulating a virus, and according to the DMCA I am *supposed* to entreat you as I do a terrorist...but I think the DMCA is unconstitutional (in a constitutional world no less), so I'll just have you scrub the men's bathroom toillette bowls with your own toothbrush. And our men would like to see the pearly-white porcelain in their toilette bowls after such a long time of re-plastering the walls and halls and stalls with pressurized diarhea of beans and hotgrits. Get scrubbin' before my boys contribute more of their lovly essence.

  283. Okay, good point.. but.. by wackybrit · · Score: 1

    Okay, you have a point, but I still don't fully agree with it. I speed. A relationship doesn't stop this. Speeding is a dipshit thing to do, but hell, I enjoy it, and it's my vice.

    I have often looked at virus creation. Although I have never bothered to actually 'get into it', I think the theories behind virus coding present an interesting challenge.

    That said, clearly virus writers break into two groups, a) the group with low self esteem, who write viruses to feel like they made a 'difference' in the world, and who desperately seek attention.. and b) people who find the whole concept of viruses interesting from a computer science (or even biological) aspect.

    So, and this is perhaps where I'll agree with you, maybe these 'low self esteem' virus writers, if they had a girlfriend, wouldn't have low self esteem anymore, and wouldn't write viruses?

  284. True, prison is evil. My Bible is against prison. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Prison is an institution created by heathens, the enemies of my Father in Heaven (Jehova). I must not partake in your prison system and thus the laws I willfully accept and prohpess such are below as provided unto me by my Father's servants his church.

    Joshua 23:6
    "Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;"

    Yes, I agree to honor my Father and Mother (Matthew 24).

    Joshua 23:7
    "That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them"

    Yes I shall not bow to any false god or graven image. I recognize that Liberty is a Roman god furnished upon New York harbor and I shall not bow to them and shall not serve them. I recognize that Justice is a Roman god often instrumentalized as a blindfolded false god holding a balance and furnished upon the courtrooms of the false gods, and I shall not bow to them and I shall not serve them.

    Joshua 20
    "The LORD also spake unto Joshua, saying,
    Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses:
    That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
    And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.
    And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime.
    And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.
    And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.
    And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.
    These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any person at unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation.
    "

    I agree; any who commit a sin or transgression unto me or my neighbor shall not be infringed in any way until redressed for such grievance with further compliance with God's laws governing testimony.

  285. According to my Bible, prison is evil! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Prison is an institution created by heathens, the enemies of my Father in Heaven (Jehova). I must not partake in your prison system and thus the laws I willfully accept and prohpess such are below as provided unto me by my Father's servants his church.

    Joshua 23:6
    "Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;"

    Yes, I agree to honor my Father and Mother (Matthew 24).

    Joshua 23:7
    "That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them"

    Yes I shall not bow to any false god or graven image. I recognize that Liberty is a Roman god furnished upon New York harbor and I shall not bow to them and shall not serve them. I recognize that Justice is a Roman god often instrumentalized as a blindfolded false god holding a balance and furnished upon the courtrooms of the false gods, and I shall not bow to them and I shall not serve them.

    Joshua 20
    "The LORD also spake unto Joshua, saying,
    Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses:
    That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
    And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.
    And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime.
    And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.
    And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.
    And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.
    These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any person at unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation.
    "

    I agree; any who commit a sin or transgression unto me or my neighbor shall not be infringed in any way until redressed for such grievance with further compliance with God's laws governing testimony.

  286. Prison is evil...my Bible says, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Prison is an institution created by heathens, the enemies of my Father in Heaven (Jehova). I must not partake in your prison system and thus the laws I willfully accept and prohpess such are below as provided unto me by my Father's servants his church.

    Joshua 23:6
    "Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;"

    Yes, I agree to honor my Father and Mother (Matthew 24).

    Joshua 23:7
    "That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them"

    Yes I shall not bow to any false god or graven image. I recognize that Liberty is a Roman god furnished upon New York harbor and I shall not bow to them and shall not serve them. I recognize that Justice is a Roman god often instrumentalized as a blindfolded false god holding a balance and furnished upon the courtrooms of the false gods, and I shall not bow to them and I shall not serve them.

    Joshua 20
    "The LORD also spake unto Joshua, saying,
    Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses:
    That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
    And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.
    And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime.
    And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.
    And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.
    And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.
    These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any person at unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation.
    "

    I agree; any who commit a sin or transgression unto me or my neighbor shall not be infringed in any way until redressed for such grievance with further compliance with God's laws governing testimony.

  287. Tim Allen...and Ted Kennedy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I hear Brother Tim Allen is drunk often. I know for a fact theat Brother Ted Kennedy has killed two people in his drunkness! Though shalt not kill! As well, when both men are drunkards, then I present the following scriptures...

    1 Corinthians 6:10
    "Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."

    Galatians 5:21
    "Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

  288. Re:Prison is evil, the Bible speaks against prison by mfrank · · Score: 1

    Yeah, well, that part's been superseded by the "render unto Ceaser" bit. Deal with it.

  289. /whois teekid by radd0 · · Score: 1

    teekid is ambient@onesevennine.tcp * x
    teekid on @#I'm_famous_for_writing_the_most_poorly_coded_wor m @#all_the_dumbass's_come_from_MN
    teekid using irc.du.se Dalarnas University, Borlange/Sweden.
    teekid End of /WHOIS list.

  290. Just saw his pic on TV by RevSmiley · · Score: 1

    Fat luser from way back.

    --
    As you can see I don't care about my karma.
  291. Re:Prison is evil, the Bible speaks against prison by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you were to be told:

    "Render unto Hitler what is Hitler's,
    Render unto God what is God's"

    You perhaps would think differently... Caezar was a thief that ruled by use of an Army. According to the "authority of Rome", the army carried a statue with a quiver of spears/spikes and a bronze axe, that anyone who did not submit to Rome will be tortured including rape of your family. Sparticus, a slave and gladiator, was able to rebel with other slaves and and gladiators and return war against the Roman Armies.

    Caezar has no authority. FBI has no authority. Prisons are repugnant to the Bible as well as the Constitution for the thirteen united States of America.

    Speaking of the FBI: Federal Beaureu of Investigation...Since when did the Federal Reserve System ever receive authority from the Congress to establish a police power and seize property and persons and effects without supporting oath or affirmation and without due process of the law according to the 5th Ammendment? They did not, they are foreign, hence a private corporation that hath committed theft and extortion, despite redressing little 18-year-old virus-writing punk men that damage th e Federal Reserve Systems' securities and interests (people). It is sad due process had to be ammended to a constitution, as if all the decency of mankind vacated slowly from 220 years ago at its founding charter for these united States.

  292. I say give the man an award... by Quickening · · Score: 1

    ...we need more heroes like this. What a topsy-turvy world we live in when the little boy is thrown in the jail for exposing the emperor's nudity.

    --
    tcboo
  293. Execute the bastard by ILuvUAmiga · · Score: 0

    No mercy, if he's guilty he should be a dead man as a lesson to others.

  294. Warning! Meme Creation Imminent! (Re:Prison rape) by chefmonkey · · Score: 1
    Be careful. You are dangerously close to creating another Slashdot meme (if you haven't already).

    Prison rape will start showing up in other, unrelated threads. If you don't knock it off, "prison rape" will become the next annoyance in the long chain of "In Soviet Russia...", "1) foo 2) ??? 3) profit!", "Can you imagine a Beowulf cluster of..." SCO, Hot Grits, First Post, Natalie Portman, goatse.cx, etc.

    I personally don't want this to happen because of the unfortunate combinations that can be formed by crossing the "prison rape" meme with the "beowulf cluster" meme.

  295. Interesting behavior of the article... by ShaperofChaos · · Score: 1

    I'm here at work, at the Science Library at UCSC. I just tried to read the article, but immediately upon openning the page, I got a BSOD. I tried to do it with another computer at the desk here, and got the same thing. Perhaps there's a new worm out that crashes your computer whenever you go to a page with the word "MSBlaster" in it so you can never find the information on patching it? ;)

  296. wanna see what he looks like? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  297. Re:Misprison of a felony NOT crime in US. by Ungrounded+Lightning · · Score: 1

    Look it up, amigo. If you know about a felony and you don't report it, you are guilty of cover-up and can serve time for your avoidance of doing the right thing.

    And while we're at it, YOU should look it up in the US legal code.

    You won't find it.

    That's because it's one of the BIG differences between law in the US and, say England.

    The US does NOT require you to turn in your neighbors, your family members, or the local gangsters, if you happen to see them commit what you believe is a crime, and thus become a target of reprisals, defamation suits, and divorce papers. You do NOT need to be a hero, a snitch, or an unpaid government agent.

    A few individual states try to impose such requirements, but always in connection with providing statutory immunity if you happen to be wrong, with "Good Samaritan" laws. (Originally these were laws requiring doctors to render aid at accident scenes and immunizing them against malpractice suits, but a couple states tried to extend them to reporting crimes.)

    WHY is it different? Think about it: The constitution was written by people who JUST REVOLTED AGAINST THEIR LEGAL GOVERNMENT - and thought their descendants should have the same option if the government THEY set up went bad. How would a requirement to fink out anyone committing a "crime" - even if the crime is something you don't believe should be a crime (like opposing the rotten regime) - POSSIBLY be allowed among the web of restraints they built to keep the new government in check?

    --
    Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
  298. msblast hacker gets 2003 Darwin award by dano5050 · · Score: 1

    ... a nice shiny new Darwin award trophy goes to one Jeff Parson of Hopkins, Minn. for multiple major failures of intelligence, including but not limited to: 1) modifying someone else's virus instead of having the creativity to come up with his own, and further 2) modifying said virus to connect to a web site in order to possibly, if desired, gain access to infected computers in the future, and lastly 3) using a web site (t33kid.com) for beforementioned purpose that he personally owned, and which was officially registered to him at his home address! I quote Robert Mueller from the FBI: "We employ the latest technology and code analysis to direct us to potential sources, and I am confident that we will find the culprits," Mr. Mueller said Tuesday." and further: "Investigators say they were able to track him down after interviewing the person who hosted Parson's site t33kid.com. " what a lot of hooey!!! my grandmother could have found this kid... go do a WHOIS on t33kid.com ridiculous.... d.

  299. Question about using MS's SUS... by LinuxParanoid · · Score: 1

    I looked into this and skimmed the documentation. It didn't appear to have a way for me to make sure that the management-folks who bring in laptops every morning get updated. It seemed to be more oriented to updating desktops in the middle of the night (or in the middle of the day but that'd be a tad disruptive around here anyway.)

    Is there something that lets me insure when the laptop users plugin to our network, they are asked/forced, first thing, to get the new updates? Maybe I missed it?

    --LP

    1. Re:Question about using MS's SUS... by rabtech · · Score: 1

      Yes, there is a way. You set an option to require patches to install if the computer missed the normal nightly patch time. Typically, set the options to require install within 1 minute of logon.

      The user will get a dialog informing them that they are going to be patched.

      --
      Natural != (nontoxic || beneficial)
  300. What IS required... by Ungrounded+Lightning · · Score: 1

    Oops. Accidentally hit Submit rather than Preview before finishing.

    The US does NOT require you to turn in your neighbors, your family members, or the local gangsters, if you happen to see them commit what you believe is a crime, and thus become a target of reprisals, defamation suits, and divorce papers. You do NOT need to be a hero, a snitch, or an unpaid government agent.

    What IS required is that you not lie, destroy evidence, or otherwise act to conceal or assist a crime. (Serve as an "accessory" - before or after "the fact".)

    If the cops come and ask you about it you can refuse to tell them about it. But lying about it IS a crime. If called to testify in court you CAN be compelled to testify - but only in conjunction with a grant of immunity for yourself (because you can't be compelled to testify against yourself - a mechanism to prevent torturing confessions out of those accused of crimes.)

    --
    Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
  301. Re:Warning! Meme Creation Imminent! (Re:Prison rap by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I, for one, welcome our new prison rape overlords.

  302. Face of the script kiddie by onyxruby · · Score: 1

    Here is a picture of the script kiddie to photoshop. Enjoy :)

  303. From CNN by dracocat · · Score: 1

    From cnn:"Parson also admitted that he renamed the original "MSBlast.exe" executable "teekids.exe," after his online name 'teekid,'" according to FBI documents.

    Note to self: If creating a virus, do not use your alias as the name of the executable.

    1. Re:From CNN by RevSmiley · · Score: 1

      I thought it was penis.exe?

      --
      As you can see I don't care about my karma.
    2. Re:From CNN by Little+Brother · · Score: 1

      So I should name my virus dracocat.exe?

      --

      Little Brother, watching the watchers

  304. He admitted guilt by KalvinB · · Score: 1

    In the latest releases his name and location are now out. He named the file using his on-line handle. He pointed the virus to his personal page. And he added a backdoor. Basically he was an idiot. The FBI found him in chat rooms talking about his little virus hack and tracked down where he was living from his domain registration info.

    The "testing" was probably people on chat rooms reading as he used his backdoor and reported what he was able to do. He released it on the 14th and on the 19th he was pinpointed. 10 days later they released his info as he was officially in court for his first hearing.

    And he admitted to all of it. The question is no longer his guilt, but simply what punishment he should recieve. As he's 18, he's an adult and with 7000 infected computers to his credit he's pretty much screwed.

    And I don't think Angelina Jolie will be waiting for him to get out.

    Ben

  305. F@*(& that. by Penguinoflight · · Score: 1

    Any virus writer?
    Just haul the whole of microsoft off to jail in that case. Rembemer, IDIOT!, it's not "malicious code" it's a exploitation of STUPID code produced by the authors of windows. Microsoft still isn't half as serious as they need to be, they never get out security fixes before someone causes havoc, or could cause havoc, and they never NEVER EVER fix their STUPID code base.

    What did he actually do wrong, anyway, try to sum it up in a few words. Remember, this virus is just another program, it just runs different, and I don't think there is any crime involved, other than "malicious code" Who is supposed to define "malicious code" anyway? M$? Lets hope not!

    Do I feel your pain, sure, I got hit with msblast on win2k, it stinks, but I'm not going to point my finger at a amature virus writer, whom I have no business with, and who didn't form an illegal monopoly, and mess up the computer industry, just look at the XBOX, and then tell me that M$ didn't intentionally make win2k and winxp suck.

    --
    "And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the World"
    1 John 4:14
  306. It's not even a virus by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ..it's a worm. All it does is shut down your pc. OOOOoo big pain in the butt. Quit crying and be thankful he didn't write it to do anything properly destructive. It's guys like this who write mildly annoying network boggers that get M$ off their laurels to fix their code. In other words, my hero.

  307. The Punishment should fit the Crime by streetsushi · · Score: 1

    This, of course, is not the last time we will see someone who attacks and undermines the infrastructure, but who is not a terrorist, etc. The only really appropriate response is to recognize that these people have shown that they are too irresponsible to live in a world undergoing a high rate of technical evolution. The simplest solution is to set aside regions of the country as non-technical zones. We can hire the Amish to run them and gaurantee a 19th-century level of technology. The only advanced item would be the 'ankle-bracelets' on the offenders giving their GPS coordinates, so they do not get to leave. Essentially, I suggest sending these folks back to the 19th century for a time, possibly the rest of their lives (19th century medicine was pretty poor) while those who are capable of dealing with this world move on into the future.

  308. Back door intrusion by ArcticCelt · · Score: 1

    Well, now in prison he will understand the real meaning of backdoor intrusion... ;)

    --

    Yahh, hiii haaaaa! -Major Kong, from Dr. Strangelove
  309. Similar crimes by DaveJay · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Let's view the original virus writer as the bank robber who masterminded a great vault robbery that entailed tunneling under the streets of Paris over the course of several weeks, and got away scot-free.

    Let's then view the person they caught as someone who stumbled across the tunnels after the original bank robber got away, and used the tunnels to get into the vault and grab a few pieces the original bank robber left behind.

    At this point, we can easily drum up sympathy for the second bank robber because his was a crime of opportunity -- he would never have gotten into the vault/released the virus if someone else hadn't already broken into the vault/written the virus first. We can also easily feel that his prosecution is unjust, as the "real" bank robber (who did far more harm) got away. So all of you who might feel that way, your feelings are reasonable and understandable. I had them at first, too.

    They're also misguided, because his actions DID cause harm, and he did make a conscious decision to take the opportunity that presented itself. Your feelings would be better spent on someone who did no actual harm, and was instead being framed for a crime they did not commit.

    Now, if the prosecutors in this case try and convict this person for writing the ORIGINAL virus, THEN it might be reasonable to have those feelings again. It would be akin to the second bank robber being blamed not for picking up scraps, but for the tunnels and major robbery that he didn't commit. In a way, he's being framed for a LARGER crime than he committed.

    Then again, how do we know he didn't commit the larger crime? He could always just be claiming to be someone who found the tunnels afterward/renamed someone else's virus and sent it out. We can't be sure, and until someone else comes along as a suspect, most people would probably assume he was responsible for the whole thing.

    Whew. Long post.

    The lesson is this: don't be foolish enough to commit a crime of opportunity, lest you be charged with an enormity of crimes perpetrated by others who had the same opportunity -- or made the opportunity in the first place.

    1. Re:Similar crimes by j-rock+nowhere · · Score: 1

      Wouldn't that mean that those that should be prosecuted should be the people on BUGTRAQ who wrote the example exploit code or perhaps M$ who wrote the buggy software? the tunnel was already dug for the first guy. No one spent weeks tunneling under paris, no one did any real hard work here; I am shocked that it took as long as it did for this to come out I was waiting from the 16th when the security bulletin first came out and I patched all of my systems. You have to remember that the crime is not digging the tunnels, it is using them; if those lines get blurred then we have *serious* problems because that would make those that release exploits criminals.

    2. Re:Similar crimes by buck_wild · · Score: 1

      So a family are out camping. A bad guy comes and murders almost the entire family, and badly wounds the remaining person.

      Now along comes a second guy and murders the last person.

      Is the last guy any less guilty of murder than the first guy? I'd agree that the first murderer should receive more time, but that certainly doesn't trivialize the second guy's actions.

      --
      If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
  310. Bystander responsibility by solprovider · · Score: 1

    If I am walking down the street and see some guy about to kill another guy with a hammer to the head I am under no legal obligation to attempt to dissuade or stop the would be killer.

    It depends who "I" am. If I am a police officer, then I have sworn to protect the public, and I can be fired and held responsible for not "doing my duty" even when off-duty and out of uniform.

    There was a big story about this situation a few years ago. There was an armed robbery. The officer was off-duty. The officer ducked and someone else died. The officer was charged with something, but I do not remember the outcome of his trial.

    The same principle applies throughout all of American style-law, and I can't think of any exceptions where a person has an affirmative duty to thwart crime or criminals.

    You can be charged with "Being an accomplice" if you knew a crime was about to happen and you did not attempt to prevent it. No need to be a hero, just alert the authorities. Also "Accessory after the fact" applies to knowing a crime was committed and not reporting it. Of course, if the criminal is never caught, your knowing is not likely to get you in trouble. And if nobody knows you know, then you cannot be charged. The laws are there to provide the public with a reason to help the police.

    Disclaimer: I am not and have never been a lawyer, police officer, or criminal.

    ---
    I do not know how any of this would apply to the IT world. Much of our work is done solo. I am certain anybody doing anything illegal would prefer to work unobserved.

    There was a Slashdot article about SC requiring IT workers to report any child porn found. As a trusted and responsible admin, I never look at anybody's data unless I must, and I doubt someone would ask me to help with an illegal picture. Anybody reporting someone under this law would be admitting to snooping, and would never work again.

    --
    I spend my life entertaining my brain.
  311. Re:Misprison of a felony NOT crime in US. by SunPin · · Score: 1

    Oh really? This has nothing to do with the Good Sam laws. Those are intended to prevent lawsuits from helping injured people. Misprison is about the Feds getting everyone related to a federal investigation. Don't get mad at me because it doesn't make sense. I didn't write the law. Here you go: Misprison of a felony

    --
    Laws are for people with no friends.
  312. Here is a genius for youg by LEPP · · Score: 1

    This kid is a true genius. He modifies the worm and renames it teekids.exe and sends it out. He hacks a site or two and puts his signature "Teekid hacked this site". He posts regularly to trojan and virus sites broadcasting his intentions. He then **get this** registers t33kid.com to his own name and address. Did he want to get caught????? This guy is a regular Forrest Gump.

    LEPP

    1. Re:Here is a genius for youg by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      maybe MS ought to hire this guy?

  313. More information by DiveX · · Score: 1

    Here is a google cache of the perp's site
    http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache:FEZleHD R3mcJ: t33kid.com/+&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

    The current site "http://www.t33kid.com/" has been removed.

    A google search on 'teekid' brings up quite a bit. "http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&o e=UTF-8&safe=off&q=teekid&sa=N&tab=iw"

    --
    Cave, wreck, and deep diver.
  314. Oh no by RevSmiley · · Score: 1

    I just checked my logs. Port 135 is popular again toady. Fuck loosers.

    --
    As you can see I don't care about my karma.
    1. Re:Oh no by RevSmiley · · Score: 1

      Toady? LOL today even.

      --
      As you can see I don't care about my karma.
  315. t33kid.com by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Google still has a cache of t33kid.com, Parson's website.

  316. Graffiti by crucini · · Score: 1

    I think your absolutism regarding graffiti should be tempered by the circumstances. Michael Fay spray-painted a lot of people's cars - I agree that he deserved what he got. But someone who spraypaints the side of a warehouse shouldn't be seen in the same light. Although it's technically "private" property, it doesn't have the same direct path to the owner's heart and blood pressure. In fact, it's probably owned by a corporation.

    1. Re:Graffiti by gujo-odori · · Score: 1

      So what you're saying is that since the warehouse is owned by a corporation, that somehow this corporation should not have the same right to be secure in its property that you and I do?

      OK, maybe you think that. Instead of trying to change your mind about that, I'll put it another way.

      Let's say a vandal spraypaints graffiti on the side of a Fry's somewhere. It needs to be removed, so the store manager calls in a company to take care of it. Let's say they charge the store $1000 for cleanup and repainting, and this happens once a week. That's $48,000 a year for the cost of vandalism. If throughout their chain they have ten stores so vandalized every week, that's $480,000 a year.

      How many more people could they employ with the $480,000? Or how much will the cost of their merchandise go up to pay for it?

      Do you get the point now? Taggers are criminals, and should get restitution plus a good flogging. Whether the property they vandalize is yours or mine personally, or the property of a business from which we buy, or the property of a government to which we pay taxes, taggers are taking money out of the public's pocket.

      Temper it for the circumstances? OK, how about this: if you tag a private individual's property, the number of strokes is doubled. If it's not your first offense, the number of strokes doubles again. If that's too many strokes for one day you get half one day, a a few days in jail to recover, then you get the rest. Then you go home.

    2. Re:Graffiti by phthisic · · Score: 1

      So your point is that punishment should be determined by economics? Interesting. Let's see, Fry's is out half a million and a few jobs, but the grafitti removal industry is up half a million and a few jobs. Then let's add a couple new law enforcement / corrections jobs. Oh, and a nominal increase in sales to the spray paint industry. Hmm, I'm a bit confused about whether this comes out plus or minus. But, regardless, I agree with you. Justice should come down to economics.

      In fact, the more I think about it, the more I think you're really on to something. If a criminal kills someone, I think we should base the punishment on the economic value of the victim. Then, if you kill a migrant farm worker, you do a few days in jail, and if you kill a CEO, you get drawn and quartered. But there's something else we should add to your theory to make it more ecomically sound. If a CEO kills a migrant farm worker and we punish the CEO, well, we're decreasing the economic output of the CEO. So, not only should we punish the killing of CEOs more highly, we should punish CEOs less. Both of these things are in our economic interest. Likewise, not only should killing migrant farm workers be punished more lightly, but we can afford to punish migrant farm workers more severely.

      Of course now we could use some better, more general terminology. Let's call the people who are worth more "noble" and the people who are worth less "peasants." Then we can just make a general rule that says that noblemen are worth more than peasants and should get away with more. And a peasant should be hanged for stealing an apple.

      You, Sir, are a fucking genious.

    3. Re:Graffiti by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Can I have a round of applause for this man?

      One of the better Slashdot posts ever.

  317. What's with the Black Men Reference? by Viscount9 · · Score: 1
    Seriously.

    Sorry for pointing out the racial reference. But com'on folks.

  318. Here's a picture link by simetra · · Score: 1
    --

    "Would it kill you to put down the toilet seat?" -- Maya Angelou
    1. Re:Here's a picture link by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That the only thing that matters these days. Its how much smart or how much talent you have but how good you look. He provably resorted to this because of the pressures put on him by this superficial society. Basically, in this society if you don't look good you're fu*ked. And no one gives a damn.

  319. [OT] Your sig by spectecjr · · Score: 1

    You might want to do float y = 1.0/2.0 * x if you want the answer to be correct. Your example of bad 'c arithmetic' is completely user error.

    --
    Coming soon - pyrogyra
  320. Zoiks!!! by uxo · · Score: 0

    I'm gonna post this again:

    This guy modified the virus to email info back to his own website from the infected PCs. Doesn't take a genius (no offense intended, FBI guys) to find out who hosts it and check to see if there's source matching the virus on PCs he owns.

    "And I would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling FBI guys!!!"

  321. Re:Yeah I feel bad for you by forwhomthebelltrolls · · Score: 1

    Viruses you dumb fuck. Virii - pftftftfttfft

  322. He's PRESUMED innocent. by uxo · · Score: 0

    this guy is innocent... pause for breath... until proven guilty

    Not to pick nits, but he's presumed innocent until proven guilty. And he might still be guilty even if he is proven innocent.

    As I've said elsewhere in this thread, this guy modified the virus to email info back to his own website from the infected PCs. Doesn't take a genius (no offense intended, FBI guys) to find out who hosts it and check to see if there's source matching the virus on PCs he owns.

    Would that convince you if you were a juror?

  323. Re:Takes two to spell "viruses" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    DUH!

    VIRUSES not VIRII

    ffs

  324. here's the code and stuff: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    illmob

    (probably don't click here from the office)

  325. He is just like the spammers by targo · · Score: 1

    He deserves a punishment fitting the crime

    It is interesting that Slashdot crowd is usually quite willing to give harsh punishments to spammers. They say that since spammers take away millions of hours of people's time, it is comparable to murder, and life sentence is quite appropriate. Well, the exact same argument applies here, this guy is no better than the worst spammers and I don't see why he should get any more sympathy.

  326. pique not peak by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    curiosity and imagination are piqued, "To provoke; arouse"

    not peaked, "to grow thin or sickly"

    Just because words sound the same doesn't mean you can use them interchangably.

    1. Re:pique not peak by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anyone whose imagination [is provoked] at naming one of the most significant viruses of out time as 'MS Blaster' deserves to get caught!? He's right, you're wrong.

  327. This is ridiculous by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The kid *MAY* have written the variant. If he did, he's guilty and he should do the crime.

    And stop comparing it to Kevin Mitnick, he was guilty as could be for hacking systems and deserved whatever he got. Who cares if the government kept him locked up, there isn't a time limit on due process as far as I know. Leave this kid locked up for years before a trial, gathering evidence. Maybe things like this will keep other kids from writing this kind of crap.

    This kid should get some time for what he's done, and anyone else that writes crap like virus.

    You can't blame Microsoft for this anymore than you can blame ford when someone gets killed by one of their cars.

    1. Re:This is ridiculous by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can blame Microsoft and Ford and whatever other shity company that failes to design basic no-duh safety and security features into their products. Although in this case MS had a patch in advance, so they are not to blame. The people with infected computers are to blame for not keeping up with security patches.

  328. If he's convicted, hang the fat bastard by BulletMagnet · · Score: 1

    This chubbasaurus is an 18 year old adult (not a child; he can go to big boy's prison now, not kiddie kamp jail) I say send a message to all the script kiddies out there. Taking down large networks and causing X number of dollars in damages, lost productivity, etc. is a serious crime. If this POS gets the maximum penalty, maybe it'll make others (at least in countries that will do something about it) think twice.

    Yes, Fatbastard did just tinker with the virus that he obviously didn't create himself. However, it's not his first crime his aliases point to according to what news is out there and his site hacking adventures.

    Sadly, I would be willing to bet the author of the parent worm is probably not from the USA and from some country that has no cybercrime laws nor any extradition policy with the USA and will probably not be caught.

    Get out a hanging judge, a short rope, and a long prison sentence.

    Maybe Chubbs can pump some iron in prison and drop 200 lbs off his frame and come out a new man.

    1. Re:If he's convicted, hang the fat bastard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You must be some MCSE sys admin that could not figure out how to patch super duper WinXP server your system. Now your boss is getting ready fire your lazy ass. So you need to take out your frustration on some high school student with a weight problem.

  329. Re:Misprison of a felony NOT crime in US. by buck_wild · · Score: 1

    I think you're being mislead by the article you reference.

    "To sustain a conviction of misprision of a felony, the government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt:
    that the principal had committed and completed the felony alleged;
    that the defendant had full knowledge of that fact;
    that the defendant failed to notify authorities; and
    that the defendant took affirmative steps to conceal the crime of the principal."

    So not only does the original person have to be found guilty, but you have to be proven to have witnessed the crime, have been proven to have not reported it, and have been proven to have taken measures to conceal the crime that the first guy was convicted of.

    Also:

    "Examples of acts to conceal fraud include:
    changing, hiding or destroying official records in order to conceal the fraudulent act;
    suppression of evidence regarding the fraudulent act;
    directlry or indirectly causing others to withold or surpress information pertaining to the fraudulent act;
    making false statements to investigators regarding the fraudulent act;
    or any other affirmative action designed to conceal the fraudulent act from authorities."

    --
    If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
  330. Re:Misprison of a felony NOT crime in US. by Ungrounded+Lightning · · Score: 1
    Oh really? [Cite ...]

    I'll stand corrected on one item: The US DOES have a crime CALLED "Misprison of Felony".

    But I won't stand corrected on the primary point: In the US it is NOT a crime JUST to fail to turn 'em in (as "Misprison of Felony" means in other places, and as the discussion implied we were talking about here).

    In the US you MUST ALSO do something EXTRA to try to HIDE them (such as destroying evidence, helping them out, lying to the cops, etc.)

    From your own citation:

    The elements of misprision of a feloney, both of which must be proved to support conviction, are:

    concealment of something, such as suppression of evidence or some other positive act; and

    failure to disclose.

    Failure to disclose, without active concealment, is not a felony.

    --
    Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
  331. Re:Prisoner rape is funny (MP3 IS MURDER) by erikogre · · Score: 1

    If he is indeed victimized in prison, the person committing the act will have done something horribly wrong - but he himself, having already victimized others, will have little moral grounds on which to erect a legitimate complaint.

    Uh, nope. Clobbering your server for a week does not rob him of any moral grounds to complain about being raped. To say otherwise is to render the whole concept of "moral grounds" meaningless.

    Libertarians [believe ...] a crime against property is on the same level as a crime against an individual's life or liberty/freedom.

    Not the ones who want to be taken seriously. Though I can just see the RIAA incorporating this idea into a new anthem for their anti-P2P ads (apologies to Morrissey...)

    The songs that you rip with a smile
    Are not portable, burnable files
    They're stolen IP, and stolen IP is MURDER
    (Do you know how Hilary cries?)

  332. Re:Prison and Justice system corrupted by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bravo.

    I personally find that most folks who rely on religion are weak-minded sheep.

  333. Not checking array bounds should be illegal by ke4roh · · Score: 1
    In describing a language a Turing Award recipient explains,
    It was logically impossible for any source language program to cause the computer to run wild, either at compile time or at run time. A consequence of this principle is that every occurrence of every subscript of every subscripted variable was on every occasion checked at run time against both the upper and the lower declared bounds of the array. ...[W]e asked our customers whether they wished us to provide an option to switch off these checks in the interest of efficiency on production runs. Unanimously, they urged us not to... In any respectable branch of engineering, failure to observe such elementary precautions would have long been against the law.

    Hoare, C. Anthony R. "The Emperor's Old Clothes." Communications of the ACM, Vol. 24, No. 2, February 1981, pp. 75-83.

    His award from the ACM was for his fundamental contributions to the definition and design of programming languages.

    Sir Tony Hoare has worked for Microsoft since 1999.

    --
    I hate call waitin`~+~~~
    NO CARRIER
  334. t33kid.com by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://www.google.ca/search?q=cache:FEZleHDR3mcJ:t 33kid.com/+&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

    p2p.teekid.c
    my little p2p worm spreads via kazaa and imesh, downloads a file from web. No biggie.
    Download | # of downloads 1548

    webdl.c
    webdownload example in c
    Download | # of downloads 500

    p2p.duload.vb
    Duload.d made be teekid and b0b, modified a tiny bit from the .c distro.
    Download | # of downloads 260

    Heh, idiot.

  335. Mr. Mickittrick is actually sticking up for him! by SID*C64 · · Score: 1
    "He's smart on the computer, but I cannot believe he was doing any hacking," neighbor Bill McKittrick told The Associated Press.

    Ok bad War Games reference... bah

  336. This kid lives by me... by Zazi · · Score: 0

    The funny thing is that this kid lives by me. Not too far away, actually. I find that funny, especially when I drove by to find a shit load of those black FBI SUVs everywhere. Maybe I should take pictures...

    1. Re:This kid lives by me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Let me get this straight...

      1. Create a website called t33kid.com registered in my name
      2. Mod one of the most annoying worms released to date, oh, and lets include a backdoor
      3. Release it as teekids.exe
      4. Watch Oprah and wait for the black SUVs to show up.

      Talk about stealth!

  337. Here's the google cache of his website by core+plexus · · Score: 2, Informative
    Here's his page, which I see says its powered by trend micro.

    -cp-

  338. Smoking Gun website by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See here for all the details
    http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/sobi g1.html

  339. prison rape is funny by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    MUhAHAHhahAhAhAhHAHAha

  340. Re:Generalizations about black men are funny ha ha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I raped him. he was a sweet piece of ass to

  341. He Needs Harshest Punishment Available by Wp8gFSiO · · Score: 1

    They're talking 10 years hard time. That's not enough. This man needs to made an example out of. Note I'm not using the word kid. A 5 year old is a kid. This guy an 18 year old adult man who altered the virus to make it more destructive and caused close to a billion dollars in losses. And MS haters, yeah, I'm sure you're going to argue that Microsoft's software was insecure. I say bullshit. If your house is broken into and burgularized you can try to blame the builder of your home for not making a stronger door, or the lock maker for not making a better lock...blah,blah. At some point you need to hold the burgular morally accountable. Now this man's life is ruined, I'd like to ask him: was it worth it? Will the long prison term and the backruptcy of your parents defending you and paying restitution be worth it? Having to carry the label of being a felon and having to check the "Yes" box whenever your fill out an employment application that asks if you have a felony convinction? Was it worth it? The background check that most employers require which will reveal a felony convinction. Was it worth it? The punishment needs to be harsh to show that THIS IS NOT A FUCKING GAME. For capitalism-hating, tin-foil hat wearing goobers, he'll probably rise to cult hero status, like Mitnick. For the rest of society he'll be just another spoiled punk with time on his hands that thinks money falls from trees. Oh well.

    1. Re:He Needs Harshest Punishment Available by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If this 18 year old can do a billion dollars of damage, as you state. Think how fxcked you are, when someone really tries to do some damage. Lets all pray the terrorist don't learn how to write viruses.

  342. rape him by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's right...

  343. The real person behind this. by zibadun · · Score: 1

    Upon closer examination the teen turned out to be a childish 40+ CEO of a large software company who created some serious holes in his operating system software.

    1. Re:The real person behind this. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      On even closer examination, you're a fucking gaylord. Stop sucking Linus' cock and join the real world. What's the matter, Bill kicked your grandma in the junk when you were young or something?

      Damn, man - can't you find a more productive waste of your time than complaining about MS security holes?

  344. I never got the virus... by Yawgm8th · · Score: 1

    Despite the fact that I meet every requirement for getting this new blaster virus I still did not get infected. I have windows xp with no firewall on a broadband connection. The day I heard about everyone else getting it I quickly downloaded all the patches and fixes but I am still confused... P.S. check out friends site

    --
    do unto others as you would have them do unto you
  345. Anybody can do it! by Baloo+Ursidae · · Score: 1

    I find it ironic that so many geeks can't get laid. While my schedule is what primarily prevents social interaction (I'm having lunch right now with another four hours to go on a 10 hour graveyard shift), this wasn't always the case. However, I wasn't particularly well adjusted in high school and I still managed to make it in the sack at 17.

    --
    Help us build a better map!
  346. Funny.. by fliptout · · Score: 1

    ..but also disturbing. It would be so easy to plant such evidence on somebody's computer.

    --
    A witty saying proves you are wittier than the next guy.
  347. Re:Prison is evil, the Bible speaks against prison by Dread_ed · · Score: 1

    Hey buddy, I know you are trying to be devout and all, but you need to study your Bible some more before you spout off. Your points and their connection have little to do with fact and history and less to do with theology. Not trying to flame here, just trying to say that from a theological point of view you don't make any sense at all.

    Joshua was receiving information form God about how to run his country. God told him to look out for certain things and to avoid certain things, specifically, the tenets and the theology of the phallic cult. The pagan gods named El, Baal, Ashtarte are foremost among the gods that the passage refers to, but specifically the practices involved in the phallic cult which were epidemic in the ancient world.

    God also stated protocol for handling the judicial system in that time because the Jews were not just a spiritual group of people, but were a NATION. Therefore they needed a system of jurisprudence, law, and government hierarchy.

    Furthermore, your references to the ideas of justice and liberty as Greek/Roman gods are misplaced as well. They may have been depicted in some related ways in stone or mural, but the depiction and the actual ideas are quite separate.

    Even worse, the term justice is used in the Bible to describe God himself. Saying that justice is a Greek god and that you won't be subject to it is bordering on blasphemy.

    Then to top it all off you don't even go into the proper translation of the passages form the original languages. If I were you I would take a class in systematic theology at some seminary near you. It might help with your historical viewpoint and fill in the gaps in your understanding of the character and integrity of the God that is described in the Bible.

    --
    When the only tool you have is a claw hammer every problem starts to look like the back of someone's skull.
  348. TEH MASTAR HUMOR MAN SI YUO!!!!!11111111 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    YUO = TEH FUNNEY!!!1!11!!!!!lolololololoololollolololoollo
    Lameness filter encountered. Post aborted!
    Reason: Too much repetition.

    Lameness filter encountered. Post aborted!
    Reason: Too much repetition.

    Lameness filter encountered. Post aborted!
    Reason: Too much repetition.

    Lameness filter encountered. Post aborted!
    Reason: Too much repetition.

  349. Re:Some thoughts on future virus and worm attacks. by mink · · Score: 1

    There are a few virus toolkits. I seem to remember one circulating usenet called VCL (Virus Creation Lab) or something like that.

    --
    Well I've wrestled with reality for thirty five years doctor, and I'm happy to say I finally won out over it.
  350. Not only that by Orion+Blastar · · Score: 1

    but one can argue that Microsoft leaves part of Windows open so that the government can break into a system of a criminal to see what data they have. Windows may be flawed by design so that our government can spy on us. Maybe that is why they were so light on the DOJ case on Microsoft, because they had an agreement to make Microsoft a monoploy so that a majority of the population could use a flawed product that security can easily be broken into in case of an investigation. Ever heard of Magic Latern? The Government's Worm that can capture keystrokes, and allow access to virtually any system that gets infected. I believe that this is not a coincidence.

    The problem happens is that non-criminals get invaded too, by Spyware and Adware and Worms and Viruses. Microsoft doesn't seem to be too interested in fixing this stuff. I remember when MS-DOS 6.X came with an Anti-Virus program, but they quickly dropped it when Windows 95 came out.

    Running an OS like Linux or FreeBSD will not be infected by Windows viruses and worms, but you will get email from Windows users that got infected and somehow got your email address in their Outlook program or the worm scanned it from the Internet.

    Face facts, if you run Windows, you are at risk of bad security. Run a Virus scanner that gets updated every week or sooner, and run a Firewall software to keep out port attacks. If you aren't doing this, you are even more at risk! I pity those who don't even run an updated Virus Scanner.

    One day maybe the world will wake up and notice that Microsoft does not care about security, and abandon them and switch to something else. But much like the abused Girlfriend, they keep going back to the abuser again and again. It is a abusive relationship with Microsoft that most companies and individuals will have to break off eventually.

    --
    Remember, Slashdot does not have a -1 disagree moderation, and no, troll, flamebait, and overrated are not substitutes.