Blaster Variant Creator Pleads Guilty

Hello Kitty writes "Robert Parson, the 18-year-old who modified and re-released a version of Blaster last year, is on his way to being made an example of, after pleading guilty Wednesday in a Seattle courtroom. According to AP, he can now look forward to 18-36 months behind bars and -- shades of Kevin Mitnick's phantom damages -- may be expected to pay millions in restitution. And then there's that lifelong 5cr1pt k1dd13 title. of course."

Comments

Microsoft should be greatful:

[tpgp]

Parson was charged here last August because Microsoft is based in suburban Redmond.

"We appreciate the fact that the defendant has accepted responsibility for the crime he committed," Microsoft deputy general counsel Nancy Anderson said Wednesday.

He changed Blaster to make it attack the MPAA & RIAA rather then Microsoft.

Microsoft should thank him ;-)

Re:This kid is no Mitnick

[Anonymous Coward]

Morris is a teacher at MIT.

Robert Parson?

[Rob_Warwick]

The article doesn't mention a Robert Parson.

It talks about Jeffrey Lee Parson. Also the /. story says he's 18. The USATODAY one says 19, though he would have been 18 at the time he released the worm (guessing based on article, I don't know when his birthday is).

Please check the facts before you submit a Slashdot story.

Your argument fails ...

[GreenEggsAndHam]

It's certain that moral values are learned differently by different people, depending on their genetic make-up and environment.

By the age of 18 however, we have been consistently tutored into the meaning of right and wrong by our elders SPECIFICALLY to make up for the variations in individuals' ability to learn the concept of themselves.

In fact, you don't learn right and wrong spontaneously, it's what society and family teach you.

Your argument seems to say that no one should be held liable for their unwillingness to join society as one of its functional members. Well that's weird because it's when an individual breaches that contract that ... WE LOCK 'EM UP !!!!

It's not like society just left people to their own devices and then will-nilly locked them up for random reasons.

This guy knew perfectly well what he was doing.

Take him down.

Re:He was not responsible.

[JuggleGeek]

Similarly teenagers are literally incapable of realising that there are consequences to their actions

If they don't, then it's damn time they started learning.

I knew there were consequences to my actions long before I was his age. In times past, men married much younger than we do in the USA today - and dealt with the fact that they had to be an adult earlier. The idea that you can do anyting you want (shoot people, steal, write viruses, whatver) until you are 25 (or 30 or 40 or 50 - it always seems to rise) just leads more and more people into arguing "I was yound, so it's OK". You know what? When the kids at Colombine shot other kids, I didn't blame the gun manufacturer, I blamed the kids. Telling me "They were young" doesn't take the blame away from them - they did it.

Kids need to learn that lesson, and saying "It's OK, they were young" doesn't take the problem away, or convince other kids that *they* should be responsible.

Re:Phantom damages??

[hyfe]

But when they nail a dumbass kid who thought he was 1337 and releases a virus (or a variation of one) then it's "phantom damages".

Ahh..but it is actually.
He released a virus that worked exactly the same as the original one, any damages that might have occured, would have occured anyway. This doesn't absolve him of guilt, and he should be punished, however holding him financially responsible for something his actions had no effect on his just plain silly. Especially considering how many worthy parties to blame for this mess.... the original author firstly, Microsoft for silly-ass mistakes, IT-personell for not doing their bloody job (evt.managers for not hiring enough IT-personell so they can do their bloody job :-) )