John McKay, United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington,
R. Scott Crabtree, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Seattle Field Division
of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Wallace Shields, Special
Agent in Charge, Seattle Field Division of the United States Secret Service
(USSS), announced that a juvenile has been arrested in connection with
the release of a variant of the Blaster computer worm, often described
as the RPCSDBOT version of the worm, which directed infected computers
to launch a distributed denial of service attack against the Microsoft
Corporation. The arrest is for an act of juvenile delinquency, under Title
18, United States Code, Section 5032, based on intentionally causing damage
and attempting to cause damage to protected computers, in violation of
Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1030(a)(5)(A)(i), 1030(a)(5)(B)(i),
1030(b), and 1030(c)(4)(A), and Section 2.
Pursuant to federal statute, Title 18, United States Code, Section 5038,
neither the identity of the juvenile nor the details of the investigation
or the charge can be disclosed to the public.
United States Attorney John McKay commended the Washington Cyber Task
Force on its speedy and effective investigation. He also thanked Microsoft
Corporation for its assistance to law enforcement. "Computer hackers
need to understand that they will be pursued and held accountable for
malicious activity, whether they be adults or juveniles."
United States Attorney John McKay, FBI Seattle Acting Special Agent in
Charge R. Scott Crabtree, and USSS Special Agent in Charge Wallace Shields
emphasized that even after two arrests in the investigation of the Blaster
worm, it remains an on-going investigation. "Law enforcement is continuing
its investigation into any additional persons who were involved in that
activity. We encourage anyone with information concerning this matter
to contact the FBI and/or the USSS."
This case was investigated by the Washington Cyber Task Force, which includes
local law enforcement in the Western District of Washington, the Seattle
Division of the FBI, and the Seattle Division of the USSS. Other divisions
of the FBI and USSS also provided assistance in the investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys Annette L. Hayes and Floyd G. Short
are prosecuting the case.
The public is reminded that an arrest of a juvenile is based on allegations
that must be proved to a court beyond a reasonable doubt in order for
there to be an adjudication of delinquency.
Due to the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, Title 18,
United States Code, Sections 5031 et seq., no further comment or information
can be provided to the public at this time.
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