Sasser

The author of a computer virus (Sasser Worm)turns out to be an 18 year old German. He was turned in by informants hoping to cash in on a bounty that Microsoft has put up for information leading to the successful prosecution of virus writers. I hope they catch them all.

Even though, as a consumer, I would hope that Microsoft would put out a bullet-proof OS, I know as a programmer that this is never likely to happen. Most of the exploits that are used by virus writers are in the OS for good reasons. They may have had a very good reason for including them or they provided some benefit in the early development of the OS. But sometimes these good intentioned things can be misused and that's how a virus writer gets their thrill. Even if the security flaws were outright errors, it still doesn't give a virus writer the right to exploit it in a way that causes others a hardship.

Even if I leave my front door unlocked, it is still a crime to enter and take my belongings or vandalize my possessions. In a sense that is what virus writers are doing. They walk through an unlocked door and vandalize someone else's property. I hope this kid gets punished to the full extent of the law. Giving the maximum sentence (5 years) sends a message that others doing this can't ignore.