Feds Arrest Teen in 'Blaster' Web Attack

Friday, August 29, 2003

(12:43 PM ET) (16:43 GMT)

The Cable News Network

FBI agents believe the teen altered the worm to create its "B-variant," The Seattle Times reported Friday. Court documents say that Parson's version of the worm infected at least 7,000 computers, The Associated Press reported.

[ ... ]

While Microsoft said about 40 million users downloaded the patch in the first two weeks in August alone, millions more failed to do so, leaving an opening for the worm to keep replicating.

CNN
An 18-year-old man suspected of creating a version of the "Blaster" computer infection is in custody in Minnesota, U.S. government sources said Friday.

Federal agents arrested Jeffrey Lee Parson of Hopkins, a suburb of Minneapolis, on Friday morning. He will appear Friday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Susan Nelson in St. Paul.

Federal officials said the suspect is known online as "teekid."

The damaging viruslike infection, known as "Blaster," LovSan" and "MSBlast," was unleashed on the Internet weeks ago. Some experts said it has infected more than 500,000 computers across the globe.

* Virulent worm

* Downloading the patch

(More: CNN.com)
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Dan