Sven Jaschan
Encyclopedia
Sven Jaschan is the self-confessed author of the NetSky
worms, and Sasser
computer worm
s.
and attended a computer science
school in nearby Rotenburg
.
The student admitted writing and releasing the two damaging worms when arrest
ed by German police on 7 May 2004 after a three-month long international investigation. Following his arrest, Microsoft
confirmed that they had received tip-offs from more than one source, and that the $250,000 reward for identifying the author of the NetSky worm would be shared between them. A Microsoft official attended the arrest and the initial interrogation. Some sources claim that at least one tip-off came from a classmate of Jaschan's to whom he had boasted of his activities. Several of Jaschan's classmates also came under investigation following Jaschan's arrest. There was also speculation that he had written the worms to drum up business for his mother and stepfather's PC support business and was actively working on an antidote to the worm.
In an interview in July 2004, Jaschan claimed to have written the Netsky worms in order to remove infection with Mydoom and Bagle
worms from victims' computers. He also confirmed that a classmate had given a tip to Microsoft.
in August 2004 claimed that Jaschan's viruses were responsible for 70% of the infections seen in the first half of that year. Following his initial arrest, Jaschan was released pending trial. Several companies and institutions have posted damage claims against him. According to the Rotenburg-Wuemme State Court, four German lawsuits were settled for under $1,000 each.
Jaschan was tried as a minor because the German courts determined that he created the virus before he was 18. The virus was released on his 18th birthday (April 29, 2004). Sven Jaschan was found guilty of computer sabotage and illegally altering data. On Friday, July 8, 2005, he received a 21 month suspended sentence. He later received three years probation and had to complete 30 hours community service in a retirement home.
(formerly H+BEDV) officially halted its cooperation with Securepoint on 23 September 2004.
Netsky (computer worm)
Netsky is a prolific family of computer worms. The first variant appeared on Monday, February 16, 2004. The "B" variant was the first family member to find its way into mass distribution. It appeared on Wednesday, February 18, 2004...
worms, and Sasser
Sasser (computer worm)
Sasser is a computer worm that affects computers running vulnerable versions of the Microsoft operating systems Windows XP and Windows 2000. Sasser spreads by exploiting the system through a vulnerable network port...
computer worm
Computer worm
A computer worm is a self-replicating malware computer program, which uses a computer network to send copies of itself to other nodes and it may do so without any user intervention. This is due to security shortcomings on the target computer. Unlike a computer virus, it does not need to attach...
s.
History
Jaschan lived in the village of Waffensen, GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and attended a computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
school in nearby Rotenburg
Rotenburg
Rotenburg is the name of the following three towns in Germany:*Rotenburg an der Wümme, near Verden in Lower Saxony*Rotenburg an der Fulda, near Kassel in Hesse*Rothenburg ob der Tauber, in the Franconia region of Bavaria...
.
The student admitted writing and releasing the two damaging worms when arrest
Arrest
An arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the purported investigation and prevention of crime and presenting into the criminal justice system or harm to oneself or others...
ed by German police on 7 May 2004 after a three-month long international investigation. Following his arrest, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
confirmed that they had received tip-offs from more than one source, and that the $250,000 reward for identifying the author of the NetSky worm would be shared between them. A Microsoft official attended the arrest and the initial interrogation. Some sources claim that at least one tip-off came from a classmate of Jaschan's to whom he had boasted of his activities. Several of Jaschan's classmates also came under investigation following Jaschan's arrest. There was also speculation that he had written the worms to drum up business for his mother and stepfather's PC support business and was actively working on an antidote to the worm.
In an interview in July 2004, Jaschan claimed to have written the Netsky worms in order to remove infection with Mydoom and Bagle
Bagle (computer worm)
Bagle is a mass-mailing computer worm affecting all versions of Microsoft Windows. The first strain, Bagle.A, did not propagate widely. A second variant, Bagle.B, is considerably more virulent....
worms from victims' computers. He also confirmed that a classmate had given a tip to Microsoft.
Sasser Worm Damage and subsequent arrest
A report by SophosSophos
Sophos is a developer and vendor of security software and hardware, including anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam, network access control, encryption software and data loss prevention for desktops, servers, email systems and other network gateways....
in August 2004 claimed that Jaschan's viruses were responsible for 70% of the infections seen in the first half of that year. Following his initial arrest, Jaschan was released pending trial. Several companies and institutions have posted damage claims against him. According to the Rotenburg-Wuemme State Court, four German lawsuits were settled for under $1,000 each.
Jaschan was tried as a minor because the German courts determined that he created the virus before he was 18. The virus was released on his 18th birthday (April 29, 2004). Sven Jaschan was found guilty of computer sabotage and illegally altering data. On Friday, July 8, 2005, he received a 21 month suspended sentence. He later received three years probation and had to complete 30 hours community service in a retirement home.
Employment
Jaschan was hired by the German security company Securepoint on September 1, 2004. In retaliation, the prestigious German security company AviraAvira
Avira Operations GmbH & Co. KG is a German antivirus software company. When founded, the company was called "H+BEDV Datentechnik GmbH". Its antivirus applications are based on the AntiVir scan engine also known as "Luke Filewalker" , first launched in 1988. For aesthetic reasons, the name was...
(formerly H+BEDV) officially halted its cooperation with Securepoint on 23 September 2004.