And now for today's tip... MELISSA'S AUTHOR WILL PAY FOR
HIS CRIME
It hasn't happened before in the United States, but the author
of the Melissa virus, tracked down even though he destroyed his
computers, will very likely be going to prison, possibly for five years or
more. The last publicized conviction of a virus writer, in Britain in
1995, resulted in an 18-month sentence for crimes the virus
writer committed, but not for the actual writing of viruses.
As in
that case, the 31-year-old computer programmer from New Jersey who admitted
to responsibility for spreading his virus will be sentenced, not for writing
Melissa, but for the monetary damage it caused once it spread widely. He's
now out on bail on federal and state charges, and is due back in court in May
for sentencing. The sentence imposed at that time will set a precedent for
those convicted in the future. If severe enough, virus writers (who don't
care about the consequences their victims suffer) are not likely to stop
their activity, but will most likely be more careful to cover their
tracks.
