Does a virus gang own the Internet?

Who knows what the authors of Netsky and Sasser are thinking. Robert Vamosi offers some speculation based on messages left inside recent viruses by the authors themselves. After a major virus or worm outbreak like Sasser, I'm frequently asked, "Who are these people?" or, "What are they doing, releasing these viruses?" To answer, I point to Clive Thompson's in-depth article for the New York Times Magazine profiling groups of young virus writers who create viral code for fun and games. It now appears that one gang of virus writers is behind Sasser -- and the nearly 30 variations of Netsky we've seen since February.

I'm not saying that the specific individuals profiled in Thompson's piece are those responsible for Sasser; still, his article gives some perspective on the underlying mentality. Like their urban gang counterparts, virus gangs are interested in marking territory on the Internet and showing off their elite skills. For example, Skynet, the gang I believe is behind Sasser and Netsky, doesn't use IRC chat rooms to communicate. That would be too easy. Instead, members of Skynet use messages within their own viral creations.

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