05-02-2002, 09:35 PM
AM, I agree. It's just that I was used to them coming thru as exe files.
Melissa Virus Writer Sentenced to Prison
Thu May 2, 1:15 PM ET
Jay Lyman, <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.NewsFactor.com">http://www.NewsFactor.com</a><!-- w -->
David L. Smith, 34, of New Jersey, has pleaded guilty to creating and unleashing the Melissa computer virus -- the first major virus spread by e-mail -- more than two years ago.
Smith, who acknowledged that the worm caused more than US$80 million in damage, was sentenced Wednesday to 20 months in federal prison.
U.S. authorities said the punishment -- which includes a $5,000 fine, supervised release, community service and a ban on computer and Internet activity -- serves as a warning to would-be virus writers who think they can launch worms on the Internet without paying a price.
While some security experts agreed that Smith's sentencing -- the first punishment for a major virus writer in the United States -- will discourage other virus writers, they questioned the delayed ruling. Antivirus experts expressed dismay at the sentence, which one McAfee official described to NewsFactor as "disgraceful."
Melissa Virus Writer Sentenced to Prison
Thu May 2, 1:15 PM ET
Jay Lyman, <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.NewsFactor.com">http://www.NewsFactor.com</a><!-- w -->
David L. Smith, 34, of New Jersey, has pleaded guilty to creating and unleashing the Melissa computer virus -- the first major virus spread by e-mail -- more than two years ago.
Smith, who acknowledged that the worm caused more than US$80 million in damage, was sentenced Wednesday to 20 months in federal prison.
U.S. authorities said the punishment -- which includes a $5,000 fine, supervised release, community service and a ban on computer and Internet activity -- serves as a warning to would-be virus writers who think they can launch worms on the Internet without paying a price.
While some security experts agreed that Smith's sentencing -- the first punishment for a major virus writer in the United States -- will discourage other virus writers, they questioned the delayed ruling. Antivirus experts expressed dismay at the sentence, which one McAfee official described to NewsFactor as "disgraceful."