Belgian virus author arrested
Monday, 16 February 2004 18:18 EST
Gigabyte, one of the few women in the male-dominated world of the virus-writing underground, has been arrested. The 19-year-old author of viruses such as Coconut, Sahay and Sharp, was arrested by the Belgian police force last Monday evening in her home town of Mechelen, according to reports. She was released 24 hours after questioning and charged with computer data sabotage. If convicted she could face between six months and three years in jail and fines of up to €100,000. Police have take her five computers for examination and taken her website offline.
Coconut, one of her quirky creations, included a game in which the user had to throw coconuts at the head of Sophos's senior technology consultant, Graham Cluley.
'Gigabyte has gained quite a reputation. Being an outspoken female in a male-dominated arena, plus her regular spats with my colleague, Graham Cluley, has made her a favourite with the media,' said Carole Theriault, security analyst at Sophos. 'This arrest is the latest example of law enforcement agencies taking cybercrime seriously and is a stark warning to the virus writing community that they will be held accountable if they break the law.'
Read Full Story