Creator of Sasser Internet worm gets suspended sentence

0 Comments | AFP, July, 2005

VERDEN, Germany (AFP) — The self-confessed mastermind behind the Sasser Internet worm that disabled millions of computers worldwide last year has received a suspended sentence from a German court.

Sven Jaschan, now 19, was handed a suspended juvenile sentence of one year and nine months, a court spokeswoman said after the closed-door hearing Friday.

He was also ordered to perform 30 hours of public service in a hospital or retirement home.

The Sasser worm struck on May 1, 2004 and in less than a week hit thousands of companies and as many as 18 million computers worldwide, forcing some businesses to shut in order to debug their systems and causing millions of dollars in lost productivity.

Jaschan gave a full confession on the first day of his trial...