Sasser writer escapes jail

Sven Jaschan, the German teenager who admitted releasing the Sasser virus, has escaped a custodial sentence.

A German court has given Jaschan, from the village of Waffensen in the northern Germany, a probationary sentence of one year and nine months after pleading guilty to charges of data manipulation, computer sabotage and interfering with public services.

Security firm Sophos says many in the IT industry are likely to think the suspended sentence is a very lenient punishment, considering the damage done to computer systems around the world.

‘Even a year after his arrest, it is more likely that you will be infected by a worm written by Sven Jaschan than any other virus author,’ said Sophos analyst, Graham Cluley.

‘However, in the grand scheme of the virus world, it's the organised crime gangs, which are increasingly emerging to make stacks of money through targeted attacks, that should be dealt the harsh sentences - over and above the dumb teenagers.’

At the height of its attack the Sasser virus caused damage to millions of computers around the world, exploiting a hole in Window’s security system, the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) to attack machines and then use them to scan for further victims.

Jaschan was finally captured after Microsoft offered a $250,000 (£144,000) reward for information on the virus’s writer.