A top Internet security company has suggested that the self-confessed author of Netsky and Sasser is responsible for at least seventy percent of cyberspace's virus infections this year.
Sophos said July 29 that its six-month virus roundup indicates Sven Jaschan – arrested in May, after five months in which at least 25 Netsky variants and one Sasser infected the Internet – as holding such a broad responsibility for the infections which continue plaguing cyberspace.
But Sophos senior analyst Graham Cluley cautioned that just because Jaschan was in custody it didn't mean he didn't have partners, saying others might be implicated in at least the Netsky virus, though none others have been arrested for it just yet.
"The full story of the Netsky gang isn't known yet," Cluley told reporters as he announced the Sophos virus roundup. "We know some of his fellow students have been questioned, but the real motives are not fully known." S
Sophos said Sasser was the top bug in the roundup with 26.1 percent of all infections and three Netsky variants – p, b, and d – taking second through fourth places. The only viruses not tied to Jaschan which made the Sophos top ten were MyDoom.a (fifth), Zafi.b (sixth), Sober.c (ninth), and Bagle.a (tenth).
"Sasser may have taken top spot, but six of the biggest viruses of the last six months were Netsky and Bagle variants--these caused a continued nuisance for PC users the world over as their authors entered into a very public game of virus writing one-upmanship," Cluley said.
Jaschan's being responsible for such a high volume of the Internet's malware epidemic this year provoked at least one bemused reaction, from ISSA UK president Richard Starnes. "Is he going to put this on his (resume)?" Starnes asked.
Cluley thinks Jaschan is not very likely to face very severe criminal penalties in spite of the reach of his cybermischief.
"It's like Pandora's box - once released viruses can carry on spreading even if the author has been caught or realises he has done something wrong," he said. "However, because Jaschan was under 18 at the time he released the viruses it's possible he will escape a stiff sentence if found guilty."
Jaschan was arrested after one of his school friends exposed him to Microsoft, which had an incentive and rewards program in place using big money rewards to help nab virus writers. Authorities raided his parents' home and disconnected computers, took photographs, and confiscated compact discs and floppy disks.
Interviewd in the German media, Jaschan said Netsky's spread got him classmate respect. "It was just great how Netsky began to spread, and I was the hero of my class," he told Stern.
Jaschan released Sasser at April's end, and that worm hit the Net flying without going by e-mail and hit a number of key organizations' Websites and networks, from the British Coast Guard to the Taiwanese national post office. Sophos said Jaschan soon enough e-mailed friends saying he was going to quit writing malware and wipe portions of his hard disk as well as encrypt vital source code, possibly because he sensed the authorities would catch onto him soon enough.
