The 19-year-old German teen who created the Sasser worm was sentenced to 21 months probation but will not serve any jail time.
Sven Jaschan of Waffensen, Germany, was fortunate because he was tried as a minor. The court determined he was only 17 when he created the worm, which he mailed on his 18th birthday. Had he been tried as an adult, Jaschan faced up to five years in prison.
In addition to probation, Jaschan has been ordered to perform 30 hours of community service either in a hospital or retirement home.
The damage done by the Sasser worm was widespread. It is blamed for shutting down British Airways flight check-ins, hospitals and government offices in Hong Kong, part of Australia's rail network, Finnish banks, British Coast Guard stations, and millions of other computers worldwide.
The worm appeared just 18 days after Microsoft released a patch to fix a problem with Windows. As a result, Microsoft issued a $250,000 reward for the capture of the maker of the virus. A tipster did collect the money for helping authorities catch Jaschan.
Should Jaschan stay out of trouble for three years and commit no new offenses, this conviction will be erased from public records. Ironically enough, Jaschan is working at a computer company that creates anti-virus programs.
