Hello,
We pause our regularly scheduled lessons, for current events... There has been much talk about Viruses. Some may say, "Yeah, so you CLAIM this guy/girl spread this computer virus with his/her disk. So what??? You'll never catch them, right?
WRONG!!! Read on....
British authorities say they have the world's first conviction for the creation of a computer virus.
Unemployed computer program Christopher Pile, 26, faces a jail term after pleading guilty to 11 virus charges and one charge of inciting others to spread viruses.
Author George C. Smith, who follows rogue programs in his book "The Virus Creation Labs," says the case at Plymouth Crown Court was the first of its kind in British legal history since passage of the Computer Misuse Act in 1990. Pile, known in the computer underground as "The Black Baron," admitted invading business computers and planting the viruses known as "SMEG/Pathogen" and "SMEG/Queeg," (based on expressions used in the cult TV series "Red Dwarf.")
Smith notes, "The case followed an investigation by fraud squad officers and experts from Scotland Yard. The 11 charges stemmed from a period between October 1993 and April 1994 when the Black Baron obtained unauthorized access to computer programs and seeded them with viruses he'd written."
Meanwhile, Brian Lett, prosecuting at Plymouth Crown Court, told U.K.'s Press Association wire service that Pile encouraged those who downloaded his instructions to create their own viruses.
In court, Judge Jeremy Griggs told Pile, "This is a novel prosecution and a unique case." The judge granted Pile conditional bail until he is sentenced later this summer, warning him he faces a possible custodial sentence.
"Police disclosed that one charge alone cost a computer firm 500,000 pounds,"
PA said, adding, "A police source said, 'This is the first time in the world that anyone has been convicted of actually writing computer viruses.'"
Smith says Pile, a Devon man, "wrote the SMEG viruses which quickly gained the attention of anti-virus developers worldwide in mid-1994. Due to publicity on the nets and in the computer underground, they were rapidly distributed around the Internet at approximated the same time Pile was arrested in connection with the charges on which he was tried."
Adds Smith, "It is worth noting that in 1992 at the height of the Michelangelo virus scare, few virus writers were easily identified. This is no longer the case. Due to the growth in computer networks and an increasing desire for underground network celebrity, many of the most prominent virus writers in the world live in plain sight."
That wraps another week and another lesson! Hoping your Cyber Travels are Virus Free ones!
Our tip of the week...
How do you keep up todate on the White House Info and get updates sent directly to your E-Mail address?
Answer...
Address: almanac@esusda.gov
Body: ask to Send Guide.
Ever have anyone tell you, "To get rid of that nasty sniffle you need just the right blend of herbs"? Does a "HERB CATALOG" exist?
Where?
Address: vmall@hookup.net
Subject: Send rvherbs Catalog