GERMANY: MICROSOFT HELP CATCH SASSER COMPUTER VIRUS CREATOR RESULTING IN ARREST OF AN 18-YEAR-OLD MAN
Record ID:
452089
GERMANY: MICROSOFT HELP CATCH SASSER COMPUTER VIRUS CREATOR RESULTING IN ARREST OF AN 18-YEAR-OLD MAN
- Title: GERMANY: MICROSOFT HELP CATCH SASSER COMPUTER VIRUS CREATOR RESULTING IN ARREST OF AN 18-YEAR-OLD MAN
- Date: 10th May 2004
- Summary: (EU) HANOVER, GERMANY (MAY 8, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. SLV FRANK FEDERAU, SPOKESMAN LOWER SAXONY POLICE, LEAVING BUILDING 0.09 2. (SOUNDBITE) (German) FRANK FEDERAU, SPOKESMAN LOWER SAXONY POLICE SAYING "The virus is not over. Unfortunately, the affected computers still contain the virus and all that can be done is to download a Microsoft update in order to kill the virus." 0.27 3. SIGN 0.32 4. (SOUNDBITE) (German) FRANK FEDERAU SAYING "We were very surprised during our investigation that the perpetrator is an eighteen-year-old student. We know from the interrogation that he has actively worked on his computer for several years. He is highly intelligent and acquired the know how and I must say, that's very impressive." 0.53 5. SIGN TILT UP TO SECOND POLICE SIGN 1.03 6. (SOUNDBITE) (German) FRANK FEDERAU SAYING: "There was an international exchange of information because we had to ensure that the confiscated source code was the right one, the cause of this virus. We cooperated with Microsoft America and with the FBI since it is an international matter." 1.23 7. WIDE OF SIGN SEEN THROUGH BARS 1.27 8. (SOUNDBITE) (German) FRANK FEDERAU SAYING: "So far we can say that the perpetrator surely was not aware of the extent of damage he caused. He infected more than one million computers worldwide and I would think he did not imagine that the damage would be this huge." 1.49 9. PAN FROM GATES TO POLICE BUILDING 2.06 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 25th May 2004 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: HANOVER, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Reuters ID: LVA5EP29QQDQUTE5OGR8BUXMGL7H
- Story Text: Microsoft helped catch Sasser computer virus creator.
German police were led to the home of an 18-year-old
man suspected of creating the "Sasser" computer worm after
a tip-off from Microsoft, police told Reuters on Saturday
(May 8, 2004).
Spokesman Frank Federau for Lower Saxony police said in
an interview with Reuters Television that German police
were certain they had the man behind one of the Internet's
most costly outbreaks of sabotage.
Software giant Microsoft had received anonymous
tip-offs about the worm's creator and then contacted the
Federal Bureau of Investigation and German police, Federau
said. All three worked together to find the suspect.
Federau said the man, who he described as a highly
intelligent "computer freak" living with his parents, was
arrested on Friday near the central German town of
Rotenburg.
"We were very surprised during our investigation that
the perpetrator is an eighteen-year-old student. We know
from the interrogation that he has actively worked on his
computer for
several years. He is highly intelligent and acquired the
know how and I must say, that's very impressive," Federau
said.
Authorities did not know if the man had created all
the versions of Sasser but said he had worked alone.
All the teenager's computers were confiscated by police
but the suspect himself was not in custody, Federau said.
Since appearing a week ago, Sasser has wreaked havoc on
personal computers running on the ubiquitous Microsoft
Windows 2000, NT and XP operating systems, but is expected
to slow down as computer users download anti-virus patches.
The computing underground responsible for hatching
worms and viruses has proved a difficult ring to crack for
law enforcement and security experts were surprised at the
rapid arrest.
The economic toll of Sasser may never be known but it
has claimed some big scalps, including Germany's Deutsche
Post, Britain's coastguard stations and investment bank
Goldman Sachs.
"So far we can say that the perpetrator surely was not
aware of the extent of damage he caused. He infected more
than one million computers worldwide and I would think he
did not imagine that the damage would be this huge," Ferau
said.
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