http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/11135235.htm
Associated Press March 14, 2005 SAN JOSE, Calif. - David Jeansonne was sentenced Monday to six months in prison and ordered to pay Microsoft Corp. more than $27,000 after about 20 people received a virus that reprogrammed their computers to dial emergency dispatch numbers. The bogus 9-1-1 calls prompted unnecessary police responses throughout the country in July 2002. Jeansonne, 44, of Metairie, La., pleaded guilty in February to causing a threat to public safety and causing damage to computers. He could not be reached Monday in the Santa Clara County jail, where he's been since October 2004. Besides the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Ronald M. Whyte sentenced Jeansonne to serve six months home detention as part of a two year period of supervised release. He must also pay restitution of $27,100 to Microsoft and a special assessment of $200. The 9-1-1 computer virus worked through WebTV, now known as MSN TV, which allows subscribers to connect to the Internet using their standard television. Approximately 20 subscribers of the Microsoft service, which used computer servers in Santa Clara County, received the e-mail. The e-mail said the attachment merely executed a program to change the display colors on the television screen. But it was really a "Trojan horse," a malicious computer code that purports to be helpful or harmless. The attachment contained a hidden script that reset the dial-in telephone number in the user's WebTV box to 9-1-1 so that the next time the user attempted to log in to WebTV the computer dialed the emergency number instead of the local telephone modem, said prosecutor Kyle F. Waldinger, assistant U.S. Attorney for the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office. At least 10 WebTV users reported that the local police either called or visited their residences in response to the unnecessary calls. The case is United States vs. David Jeansonne, No. CR-04-20023-RMW. _________________________________________ Bellua Cyber Security Asia 2005 - http://www.bellua.com/bcs2005
