by Playfuls Staff |
10th May 2006
In case you're wondering just what a botmaster is, it all makes sense when u realize a botnet relates to a person's computer being controlled remotely to attack other machines or send spam. Obviously, the botmaster is the evil attacker orchestrating the entire scenario, and one of the biggest names in this "business" was sentenced on Monday to almost five years in jail, the longest prison term given for spreading computer viruses, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement.[more]
Jeanson James Ancheta, of Downey, California was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison, and after he completes this term, he will have to spend three more years on supervised release. As a precaution, during that time, Ancheta will have limited access to computers and to the Internet. On top of all that, he will be required to pay approximately $15,000 in restitution to the Weapons Division of the United States Naval Air Warfare Center in China Lake and the Defense Information Systems Agency, whose national defense networks were intentionally damaged by Ancheta's malicious code.
The 20-year old man pled guilty in January to federal criminal charges stemming from his activities creating and spreading viruses and profiting from them. Botnets were Ancheta's favorites, and he became a master of taking control over thousands of computers and using them to initiate Internet-based attacks. And as soon as botnets and spammers come together, the possibilities are endless and the money involved is even more exciting than the thrill of just messing up systems left and right.
