US virus writer pleads guilty

Man faces up to five years in prison for creating and distributing Trojan

A man from Washington has pleaded guilty to writing and distributing a Trojan horse designed to steal private information from online gamers.

Richard C. Honour, 31, was charged with causing harm to computers systems across the country, including one in the Eastern District of Missouri, where his case was handled. He appeared before US District Judge Donald J. Stohr.

Honour faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. (£127,300). He is scheduled to be sentenced on 4 May.

'Computer viruses have the potential to cause an incredible amount of damage to the nation's economy,' said United States Attorney Catherine L. Hanaway.

'Tracking a computer crime can be tedious and difficult. This case is an example of excellent investigative work by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), who responded to complaints from the Internet community and followed every lead until the case was resolved.'

Honour targeted his malware at users of internet relay chat systems, including DarkMyst, a chatroom popular with players of online role-playing games, according to the Department of Justice (DoJ).

He sent messages to IRC users conning them into clicking on links with offers of online movies. People who clicked on the links were infected with the malware, which allowed him to access the infected machines to spy on their actions and steal their personal and financial information.

FBI agents based in St. Louis investigated the case and obtained a warrant to search Honour's Washington home, where they confiscated computer equipment. The DoJ said the FBI conducted a forensic examination of the equipment and found evidence of the malware and records indicating that Honour had obtained information from victims' computers.

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