The German teenager fingered as the author of the Sasser and NetSky worms may not be popular among IT professionals, but fans of the accused miscreant have already sprung to his defense and, apparently, opened their wallets. On Wednesday an anonymous post to the Full Disclosure security mailing list announced a new website dedicated to raising money for 18-year-old Sven Jaschan. Describing Sasser as a “harmless wake-up call,” the announcement colors Jaschan a scapegoat for Microsoft’s security failings, and warns that serious criminals could have written a deliberately destructive worm. “Medical systems could be open for tampering, harbor control systems could cause massive oil spills by terrorists and so on,” the announcement reads. “Sven did the right thing by making this alarm call.” The “Support Sasser” website includes similar text, a PayPal button, and an image of a grotesque reptilian monster that goes unexplained. Visitors are encouraged to dig deep, though not, apparently, to raise money for attorney’s fees. Instead, the objective of the fundraising is to ensure that Jaschan “has some enjoyable days at least, so he has something to remember with joy in the hard times to come.” Full Story
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