Two men who infected more than 100,000 computers with a Trojan that generated profits exceeding 12 million Euros have been jailed in Germany.

A court in Osnabrück sentenced one of the men to four years and the other to a 39 month sentence for their part in a criminal scheme that subverted innocent internet users' PCs with software that dialled premium rate 0190 phone numbers to contact an adult website.

The men, aged 31 and 35 years old, amassed substantial illegal profits from the scam between July 2002 and September 2003.

'Having infected a staggering 100,000 computers and run up huge phone bills for the unsuspecting users, the culprits are now facing Christmas in the slammer,' said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos.

'The German authorities must be commended for bringing these offenders to justice, and other hackers should look long and hard at the punishment dished out and ask themselves whether, in the long run, internet crime really pays,' said Cluley.

Prosecution requests for an additional fine of 7.75 million Euros was rejected for legal reasons. Earlier in 2006, two other men were jailed for 18 and 22 months in connection with the case.

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