Thinkerman Posted May 8, 2004 The Sasser worm infects computers via the internet An 18-year-old German high school student has admitted creating the Sasser internet worm, police say. The worm spread through an estimated 18 million computers across the world last week, continually shutting down and rebooting them. The teenager was arrested on Friday in the town of Rotenburg in northern Germany, and has now been released. Investigators seized a number of computers and disks from his home. It is understood he was working alone. The teenager's identity has not been released, though the German weekly Der Spiegel reported that the CIA and FBI had joined the search for a suspect known as Sven J. German prosecutors have scheduled a news conference for later on Saturday. Spread quickly The Sasser worm quickly spread worldwide after its first appearance on 1 May. Some businesses were forced to shut temporarily so they could clear their systems and update anti-virus protection. Hospitals, banks, airlines, government agencies and many home users were affected. The worm attacks recent versions of Microsoft's Windows operating systems - Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP. Experts say it apparently does no lasting harm. But although the worst of the outbreak is over, it is thought the worm will never entirely disappear, and that future versions may be far more damaging. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
