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Story URL: http://software.silicon.com/malware/0,3800003100,39150174,00.htm

Sasser writer free to return to his job
Suspended sentence likely to cause anger...

By Will Sturgeon

Published: Friday 08 July 2005

The German 19-year-old who wrote the Sasser email virus, which caused havoc and huge financial damage to businesses worldwide last year, has escaped serious punishment.

Sven Jaschan left the court in Verden, Germany, today on probation with a 21-month suspended sentence, a move which is likely to anger both users and security experts. He is now free to return to his job at German security firm Securepoint.

Earlier this week, silicon.com heard from one security expert who said it is impossible to quantify the damage Sasser caused, adding only that it will have been "huge" in both financial and operational terms.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos, said: "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."

And it's likely many will be queuing up to criticise the leniency of the German's sentence.

Cluley added it is likely Jaschan escaped jail due to his being arrested as a minor.

"Sven Jaschan avoided a jail sentence by the skin of his teeth because he was arrested within days of his eighteenth birthday. In many ways, Sven Jaschan was lucky that the police caught him when they did," he said.

But Cluley said Jaschan's legacy will now follow him through life - as will his notoriety.

"His name will always be associated with some of the biggest viruses in the history of the internet."

Dave Rand, chief technologist at Trend Micro, told silicon.com this is important as responsible security companies will want to make sure they give known virus writers a wide-berth during recruitment.

Rand said there should be no place for the likes of Jaschan in a responsible IT industry.