German teen indicted over Sasser computer worm

VERDEN, Germany (AFP) - German prosecutors indicted an 18-year-old student on suspicion of creating the Sasser computer worm that paralyzed millions of computers around the world last spring. The suspect, identified only as Sven J., is charged with computer sabotage, data manipulation and disruption of public systems for allegedly hatching the worm, which produced millions of dollars in damages after spreading at lightning speed over the Internet.
Prosecutors in this northern German town said that 143 victims had filed charges and that the suspect could face up to five years in prison if convicted. It was not yet clear when his trial would begin. The teenager was arrested in May after a raid on his parents' house in Rotenburg, a small town in the northern state of Lower Saxony, turned up incriminating evidence.
Acting on a tip from computer giant Microsoft, which offered a 250,000-dollar reward for the conviction of the mastermind behind the worm, investigators seized several items from the house, including the suspect's personal computer. He admitted during questioning to writing the Sasser program and authorities believe he may also be behind another destructive worm named Netsky, which surfaced in February. "The computer worms caused damage worldwide. There is no doubt about that," said chief prosecutor Helmut Trentmann. Trentmann said, however, that major companies had not come forward to file charges against Sven J. which had made the prosecution more difficult. "We have the tip of the iceberg. But we have not received any reports from major listed companies that were surely also affected." The Sasser worm struck on May 1, and in less than a week affected thousands of companies and as many as 18 million computers worldwide, forcing some businesses to shut temporarily in order to debug their systems.