UK virus writers sent to jail by Newcastle Crown Court - PatchLink comment

Two UK men, a 22 year-old electrician and a 23 year-old who is currently unemployed, were sentenced today to three months and six months respectively at Newcastle Crown Court for their part in an international hacking group. The men admitted taking part in the creation of the T-K Worm, which compromised thousands of computers in the UK.

Alan Bentley, UK MD of PatchLink Corporation commented:

"With any luck these prison sentences will send a stern message to the virus community that distributing malicious code is not acceptable. The emergence of organised hacking groups is a worrying concern for computer users and one that needs to be stamped out before it spirals out of control."

"This hacking group, THr34t-Krew, utilised the virus to scan computers for vulnerabilities to start Distributed Denial of Service attacks on other computers and web sites. This type of activity can only be viewed as malicious and needs to be addressed. Companies and internet users need to take a hard look at their IT systems and identify where these vulnerabilities lie. Critical to putting a stop to this activity will be for users to remain vigilant and beginning patching holes in their systems.

"However, computer users must act with caution. Applying patches before they are properly tested could have an adverse effect on PCs and result in downtime or the PC failing. It is simply not enough to just assume you can download the patch without taking the proper precautions.”