Fifteen Year Old Japanese Awaiting Prosecution over Dissemination of Computer Virus

In Nagano (Nagano, Tokyo, Japan), cops handed over one case to court on September 11, 2012 that was filed in connection with a teen boy, aged 15, accused for deliberately spreading one PC-virus, published THE JAPAN DAILY PRESS dated 12th September 2012. A just-enacted Japanese Act for curbing harmful computer software is going to be, unlike ever-before, applied against a non adult. Cops state that the boy, a student of a 3rd-year lower high school, pleaded guilty to the offensive act.

Surprisingly everything that happened was beyond anybody's expectation. The boy didn't have the relevant skills of any hacker who would contaminate PCs at a government agency, bank alternatively any financial institution. The PC-virus he used does not intercept his victims' keystrokes for sensitive passwords or drain anybody's bank account. Instead it creates octopuses' images visible to the computer-operator. The octopuses' images are not even intimidating. As a matter of fact, the accused originally put up the malware onto his blog during 2011-November, while during 2012-April, one southwestern Japan student inadvertently pulled it down.

Cops stated that about 400 people likely visiting the teenager's own website had similarly pulled down the malware adding that there had been no damage howsoever to any utility available on the infected machines.

Moreover, it was during July 2011 that the mentioned Act vis-à-vis creation, distribution, deliberate acquiring alternatively deliberate ownership of any PC-virus got implemented. Anyone making and disseminating such a viral program can be jailed for a maximum of 3-yrs else ordered to pay up to 500K Yen in fine whereas anyone deliberately acquiring alternatively owning one PC-virus can face jail for a maximum of 2-yrs else pay up 300K Yen in fine.

Now, it isn't just this boy in Japan who has written a virus program and staying put for being prosecuted. During July 2012, another teenager, aged 13, from Akiruno City (Tokyo, Japan) was arrested after he allegedly designed one PC-virus, which closed systems forcefully. The boy in the eighth grade also faced charges that he operated some hacking forum. Currently, he too waits to be prosecuted over accusation of misdemeanor or misconduct.

» SPAMfighter News - 9/18/2012