Melissa conviction to stop virus writers?

[mea culpa <jericho () DIMENSIONAL COM>]

http://www.zdnn.com/a/zdnn121099/2406928/

Melissa conviction to stop virus writers?

Computer security specialists say the potential stiff penalties meted out
to the Melissa creator will cause other virus writers to think thrice
before unleashing their wares.

By Robert Lemos, ZDNet News
UPDATED December 10, 1999 7:30 AM PT [INLINE]

REUTERS: David Smith story Law enforcement officials and computer security
specialists say that David L. Smith's conviction in the Melissa virus case
-- the first successful prosecution of a virus writer in the United States
-- will have a strong chilling effect on other authors of malicious code.

"We are hoping that the sentence has a significant deterrent impact," said
Robert J. Cleary, the U.S.  attorney for the District of New Jersey, who
led the federal prosecution. "I think this will have the effect we want.
Those predisposed to white-collar crimes really do balance risk versus
reward."

Smith, 31, pleaded guilty in both state and federal courts on Thursday,
agreeing that the virus he wrote and released -- named "Melissa" after a
Florida stripper -- caused $80 million in damages (the minimum monetary
amount needed in order to trigger stiffer federal sentencing guidelines).

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