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Accused Zotob Worm Author Says Money Was Motive 213

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the crime-still-pays dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Washingtonpost.com has an excerpt of an online interview with "Diabl0", the 18-year-old that Moroccan authorities arrested on suspicion of writing the Zotob and Mytob worms, as well as the Rbot trojan. In the back-and-forth, Diabl0 says his worms "spread only for money" and hints that the motive was receiving commissions from installing spyware on infected computers."
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Accused Zotob Worm Author Says Money Was Motive More

Accused Zotob Worm Author Says Money Was Motive

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  • What is the answer to 99 out of 100 questions? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 29, 2005 @06:05PM (#13431542)
    Money.

    • The other one is... (Score:5, Funny)

      by Poromenos1 ( 830658 ) on Monday August 29, 2005 @06:16PM (#13431611) Homepage
      42!
    • In other words, greed?

      Most life forms are motivated by greed, but not all. You still left the other one percent open (in your view/statement). :)

  • Anti Virus firms will kick his butt (Score:5, Insightful)

    by deft ( 253558 ) on Monday August 29, 2005 @06:06PM (#13431545) Homepage
    "Diabl0 says his worms "spread only for money" and hints that the motive was receiving commissions from installing spyware on infected computers."

    Because he's stealing THEIR business model! =)

  • Youngins.... (Score:5, Funny)

    by RobertKozak ( 613503 ) on Monday August 29, 2005 @06:09PM (#13431562) Homepage
    ...the 18-year-old Moroccan authorities...

    GAWD! I must be getting old cause I can remember when "authorities" used to be older than 18.

  • Oh, *phew*! (Score:5, Funny)

    by MutantHamster ( 816782 ) on Monday August 29, 2005 @06:12PM (#13431587) Homepage
    "In the back-and-forth, Diabl0 says his worms "spread only for money" and hints that the motive was receiving commissions from installing spyware on infected computers."

    For a minute there I thought he was a real asshole.

    • Oh, and YOU think that you have a reason to hate this jerk... I do Windows administration for a big company that refuses to patch its systems in a timely manner! This worm kicked my butt, and I want vengence! Can I volunteer to join the lynching party for this guy, or is the waiting list already too long?
    • You know, the funny thing is, I see this ALL THE TIME. I work on a virus removal tool in my spare time, and the motive for every single one of these worms is twofold.

      1) Just as in this case, they are using spyware referrals to make cash off of every install. My first experience with this was realphx.com's IM worm in 2003, and they've pretty much all done it.

      2) Oooooh look at me, I'm a script kiddie! All bow before my awesome coding prowess! Instead of using my meager, supposed skill to build software for a

  • Something must be done! (Score:5, Funny)

    by metamatic ( 202216 ) on Monday August 29, 2005 @06:12PM (#13431591) Homepage Journal
    Clearly we must ban this "money" immediately if it encourages criminal behavior.

  • One Fine Afternoon in Morroco (Score:5, Funny)

    by ackthpt ( 218170 ) * on Monday August 29, 2005 @06:18PM (#13431622) Homepage Journal
    Diab10: [hack, code, hack, code, code, hack...]

    un..deux..trois! CRASH

    Diab10: wtf :p

    Police: j00 r u|\|d3r 4rr35t, m0|\|513ur! :p

    Diab10: u c4n't kn0ck? i'11 1053 my d3p05it, 100k 4t th4t d00r! r3ck3d! :(

    Police: s0rry m0|\|513ur, w3 s4a11 g0 b4ck 0ut5id3 4nd try 4g4in, 0iu? :)

    Diab10: w311, 0k.

    Police: <kn0ck kn0ck kn0ck> Diab10: wtf, wh0 r u? :p

    Police: <13 p01ic3>

    Diab10: g0 4w4y, i'm n07 h0m3 :p

    Police: <s4cr3 b13u, 332 g0t 4w4y!> >:(

    Diab10: :)

    Police: <w4it 4 s3c0nd...>

  • So what is wrong with what with what Diabl0 did? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by AstroDrabb ( 534369 ) on Monday August 29, 2005 @06:46PM (#13431778)
    Seriously. Corps here in the USA are constantly allowed to "push the bar" as far as they can. Consumer opinion need not apply. Why is is OK for a "capitalistic" company to personally allowed to cost you money/time, yet if a private person does it, it is a "crime"?

    I am soooooo, sick of the politicians and their corruption. I personally don't see any "fix" besides a civil war in the USA to blow the shite out of the corrupted politicians.

    How much longer should we sit on our fat @sses and let the big corps have privileges that we as private citizens could only dream of? Why should a corp be allowed to commit a crime and only get fined yet, if a private "citizen" committed the _same_ crime would get jail time?

    I personally see nothing wrong with what Diabl0 did. After all, he was looking out for "share holders best interests" to MAKE MONEY, so why shouldn't he be protected just like all the other corps that "just want to make money"?

    • Well said. The shite the corps are getting away with has really been "pushing the bar" for a long time. It was all OK as long as everyone had their day time TV. But now that TV content sucks (no good Star Trek shows), people are starting to notice how screwed up the situation is. :)

      Either give us good TV, dammit, or else.
    • Corps here in the USA are constantly allowed to "push the bar" as far as they can

      Beyond which, they're acting illegally.

      And it's up to state and federal legislatures to redefine what is and is not legal for companies to do. Recent legislation like Sarbanes-Oxley places enormously more scrutiny and burden on large companies. Why? Because a very small number of them pulled some dumb shit, and now everyone who forms a corporation is "evil" until proven otherwise (or, from your perspective, evil no matte
    • You're a moron. First, where did it say Diabl0 did this on behalf of any corporation?

      Second, tell me which "corporation" has legally gotten away with illegally hacking into user computers, then installing a trojan that will allow them to install whatever they want?

      Third, WTF does this have to do with the USA specifically? MOST countries today are capitalistic.

      It seems you have a beef with USA/corporations/capitalism and are just using any excuse to drag them down.

      • You're a moron

        Thanks, and so are you! There, I came down to your level, feel better?

        Second, tell me which "corporation" has legally gotten away with illegally hacking into user computers, then installing a trojan that will allow them to install whatever they want?

        Umm, corps have been getting away with tons of crap for a long time now. Toxic waste dumping, damage to the environment, illegal monopolies, etc, etc. My beef is that if it is just a citizen not hiding behind a corporate shield, they often g

        • Thanks, and so are you! There, I came down to your level, feel better?

          You are a moron because of the content of your post. It wasn't just some random name calling.

          Umm, corps have been getting away with tons of crap for a long time now. Toxic waste dumping, damage to the environment, illegal monopolies, etc, etc. My beef is that if it is just a citizen not hiding behind a corporate shield, they often get "made an example of" by the feds. When it is a medium to large sized corp with enough money, they get le

          • You are a moron because of the content of your post. It wasn't just some random name calling.

            I am rubber, and your glue. There now, we are back to your level. Justifying naming calling is just stupid. You sound like a teeny-booper trying to justify what you did wrong. Name calling adds nothing to a discussion.

            What are you talking about? Corporations are being audited, fined, and executives are jailed.

            Huh? What are _you_ talking about. Corps have been getting away with tons of crap for _decades_.

            • I am rubber, and your glue. There now, we are back to your level. Justifying naming calling is just stupid. You sound like a teeny-booper trying to justify what you did wrong. Name calling adds nothing to a discussion.

              You're still a moron.

              Huh? What are _you_ talking about. Corps have been getting away with tons of crap for _decades_. Did anyone personally get in trouble at MS because of their actions that were found to be monopolistic practices? Nope. MS was able to blame it on the "Corporation". Though a n
    • I'm pro civil war too for pretty much the same reason. Corporations have more rights than Americans, and the politicians won't do anything about it. That is grounds for removal of government.

  • The Moron's Businiess Plan (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 29, 2005 @06:53PM (#13431815)
    1. Wait till MS announces a new exploit.
    2. hack up a virus, release on 'net
    3. ......Jail!

  • A new generation of virus author? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by AltControlsDelete ( 642641 ) on Monday August 29, 2005 @07:12PM (#13431918)
    I remember a time not all that long ago when the primary motivation for a kid writing a virus was to see his name in the lights or to learn something about technology. I could never really find fault with that, even though what they were doing was clearly misdirected and destructive. At least they were learning something, and being misdirected and destructive is what all kids do almost as a matter of course.

    To read this now is both unsurprising and saddening, like the end of an era. A part of me misses the simple pleasure of a BBS, a modem, and people who had to care enough about technology to visit the same places that I was. Reading this story is where the new age of the Internet really hit home for me, though it's certainly been this way for at least a couple of years. The people who care simply don't have their own home anymore, or if they do I don't know where it is. Now that anyone can get on the Internet and the primary motivation for exploring technology is the cash offered by malevolent advertising, I can only sit and be dismayed at what this has all become.

    I guess it's all spilled milk and sour grapes for me, though. And I'm sure those who were around at the very beginning, in the late 70s and through the 80s would look at me as a disrespectful babe in diapers for not showing up until the early 90s and sullying what they'd built just as I look upon this jerk as a harbinger of a new generation that just doesn't care.
    • primary motivation for a kid writing a virus was to see his name in the lights or to learn something about technology.

      The person under question could have got all the same things you mentioned, except he had the potential to get paid as well. The learning experience was still there unless he just whipped the virus up in a few minutes and it worked first time.

      There was a show on the Discovery channel about some dude and his wife making countfeit replicas of casino coins. He was a hacker at heart as noted b
    • Don't rely on this punk to tell the truth about why he wrote a worm. If he can sell out some spamware salesman to lessen his own jail time in a Moroccan jail, you can bet that he'll bargain to keep his precious 18-year-old ass out of a jail cell with some very, very protective cellmate doing hard time who will consider him very, very precious.

  • If only the kid had incorporated... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Serveert ( 102805 ) on Monday August 29, 2005 @07:19PM (#13431951)
    he could have avoided this legal mess.

  • Typo (Score:2, Funny)

    by Tordek ( 863609 )
    There's a slight typo in the article.
    They spelled it moroccan.

    "cca" wasn't suppossed to be there.

  • Well of COURSE it was for the money! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by __aailob1448 ( 541069 ) on Monday August 29, 2005 @09:33PM (#13432616) Journal
    I'm a moroccan national and I can tell you that prospects are grim for the youth over there. They have been for quite some time and things just aren't getting better.

      While this Diabl0 guy was only 18, there is no shortage of university graduates who, after 4+ years of studying, find out that there is no such thing as a job market for them.

      The most resourceful and those with affulent families escape to europe and the U.S while those of more modest origins or stronger ties to their country get bitter and are forced to take up any crappy job they can find.

      It is inevitable that more cyber-criminals will emerge in Morocco. Cybercafes are cheap and those unemployed folks have plenty of time to devise moneymaking schemes.

    Oh, i'm one of those who escaped. Every summer I return, I look and I despair.

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