Re: SASSER Worm Dude

2004-05-11 Thread Dave Howe
Tyler Durden wrote:
> "HANOVER, Germany -- German police have arrested an 18-year-old man
> suspected of creating the Sasser computer worm, believed to be one of
> the Internet's most costly outbreaks of sabotage."
> Note the language...an "18 year old MAN" and "sabotage"...
> So a HS kid, living with his parents, is able to write a worm that
>   takes out millions and millions of computers throughout the world
> running the latest MS OS. Uhshouldn't we arrest Bill Gates first?
I think you are thinking in terms of the American age scale - In england
(and over most of europe although obviously it varies), 18 is old enough
to marry without parental permission, be served in a bar, drive, and be a
practicing homosexual.  At 16 you can have hetrosexual relationships,
marry with parental permission, work (and pay taxes) and rent property in
your own name (you can *own* property from 12)

Most schooling ends at 16, college 18, university (assuming a 3 year
course) 21. I would assume a german at 18 is either at university or
considered of employable age - well into majority.  So legally, "man" is
ok - obviously, this is a shallow typical Skript Kiddie who probably still
lives with his parents, but legally that isn't the case.



Re: SASSER Worm Dude

2004-05-12 Thread Eugen Leitl
On Mon, May 10, 2004 at 02:31:18PM -0400, Tyler Durden wrote:

> So a HS kid, living with his parents, is able to write a worm that takes 
> out millions and millions of computers throughout the world running the 
>  latest MS OS. Uhshouldn't we arrest Bill Gates first?

The decision is rational, because people are irrational, ignorant, and hence
populistic gestures have a large payoff (and some deterrence to boot).
Establishing liability for generic software is unprecedented, will take huge
resources, time, and has low probability to succeed.

So let's lock up the kid, and his buds. The professionals will thank you, too,
for it keeps them out of the limelight due to the distraction, and increases the
vulnerability exploitability shelf life. 

-- 
Eugen* Leitl http://leitl.org";>leitl
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Re: SASSER Worm Dude

2004-05-14 Thread John Kelsey
At 12:47 PM 5/11/04 +0100, Dave Howe wrote:
..
I think you are thinking in terms of the American age scale - In england
(and over most of europe although obviously it varies), 18 is old enough
to marry without parental permission, be served in a bar, drive, and be a
practicing homosexual.  At 16 you can have hetrosexual relationships,
marry with parental permission, work (and pay taxes) and rent property in
your own name (you can *own* property from 12)
Everywhere in the US, you can go to jail for criminal acts when you're 
18.  It's not clear why writing a computer worm is any different in that 
regard than fraud or theft.  I think that's generally true.  In some 
states, much younger people have been sentenced to death.

--John Kelsey, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
PGP: FA48 3237 9AD5 30AC EEDD  BBC8 2A80 6948 4CAA F259



Re: SASSER Worm Dude

2004-05-10 Thread Roy M. Silvernail
On Mon, 2004-05-10 at 14:31, Tyler Durden wrote:

> Note the language...an "18 year old MAN" and "sabotage"...

Eh?  The USian secfor has been using that style of hyperbole since
Freeh. Germany is playing catch-up.

> So a HS kid, living with his parents, is able to write a worm that takes out 
>   millions and millions of computers throughout the world running the latest 
> MS OS. Uhshouldn't we arrest Bill Gates first?

Hmmm... there *is* that thing about maintaining an attractive nusiance,
no?
-- 
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