rodgers@maxwell.mmwb.ucsf.edu (R. P. C. Rodgers) (07/31/89)
I heard a brief one-sentence report on the BBC World Service several
days ago to the effect that U.S. Federal authorities had formally
charged R. T. Morris, Jr., with crimes in connection with the Internet
worm of November 1988. Could someone with accurate details kindly post
them to the net; readers of this newsgroup were very actively involved,
both in fighting off the worm and (afterward) in debating the ethics of
the affair. Thanks in advance...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
R. P. C. Rodgers, M.D. Telephone:
Statistical Mechanics of Biomolecules (415)476-8910 (work)
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry (415)664-0560 (home)
University of California, Box 1204 E-mail:
Laurel Heights Campus, Room 102 ARPA: rodgers@cca.ucsf.edu
3333 California St. rodgers@maxwell.mmwb.ucsf.edu
San Francisco CA 94118 BITNET: rodgers@ucsfcca
USA UUCP:
...ucbvax.berkeley.edu!cca.ucsf.edu!rodgers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------usenet@cps3xx.UUCP (Usenet file owner) (08/01/89)
In article <11727@cgl.ucsf.EDU>, rodgers@maxwell.mmwb.ucsf.edu (R. P. C. Rodgers) says:
$
$ I heard a brief one-sentence report on the BBC World Service several
$ days ago to the effect that U.S. Federal authorities had formally
$ charged R. T. Morris, Jr., with crimes in connection with the Internet
$ worm of November 1988. Could someone with accurate details kindly post
$ them to the net; readers of this newsgroup were very actively involved,
$ both in fighting off the worm and (afterward) in debating the ethics of
$ the affair. Thanks in advance...
There was a brief blurb on CNN over the weekend. I didn't catch the
exact charge, but it is a felony he is being charged with.
John H. Lawitzke UUCP: Work: ...uunet!frith!dale1!jhl
Dale Computer Corp., R&D Home ...uunet!frith!ipecac!jhl
2367 Science Parkway Internet: jhl@frith.egr.msu.edu
Okemos, MI, 48864 [35.8.8.108]johnk@opel.UUCP (John Kennedy) (08/02/89)
In article <11727@cgl.ucsf.EDU> rodgers@maxwell.mmwb.ucsf.edu (R. P. C. Rodgers) writes: >I heard a brief one-sentence report on the BBC World Service several >days ago to the effect that U.S. Federal authorities had formally >charged R. T. Morris, Jr., with crimes in connection with the Internet >worm of November 1988. Could someone with accurate details kindly post >them to the net; readers of this newsgroup were very actively involved, >both in fighting off the worm and (afterward) in debating the ethics of >the affair. Thanks in advance... >------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are excerpts reprinted without permission from the July 27 Annapolis, MD _Capital_, a daily newspaper near Robert Morris's hometown of Arnold: ...Robert Tappan Morris, Jr., 24, was charged with violating the federal computer crimes statute by gaining unauthorized access to computers across the contry, preventing authorized access to them and causing losses in excess of $1,000 [sic]. The one-count indictment was released by a federal grand jury in Syracuse, N.Y., where Morris is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday by a U.S. magistrate. No trial date has been set, said Thomas Guidoboni, Morris' attorney. If convicted, Morris faces a possible five-year prison term and $250,000 fine. He also could be ordered to pay restitution to the military bases and universities affected by the virus, according to a statement released by the U.S. Justice Department. ... "He was working up until a week ago, but the press found out where it was and he lost his job," Guidoboni said. The attorney refused to say where Morris was working or whether the job was computer-related. ..."Mr. Morris will enter a plea of not guilty and will contest the charges against him. He looks forward to his eventual vindication and a return to normal life." ...Mark Friedell, an assistant professor in computer science at Harvard University who was an advisor to Morris when he was working on his bachelor's thesis there, was apalled yesterday by the indictment. "I think what Robert did was very irresponsible, but I don't think in any way it is the sort of thing you usually think of as a felony criminal act," Friedell said. "It was the act of an an immature student, not a criminal." Other computer security experts and computer enthusiasts agreed that releasing the virus was a juvenile act, and some believe he should be punished if he did unleash it. But they don't believe the punishment should be so harsh that it would damage Morris' career. Some computer security experts said they believe that by prosecuting the highly publicized case, the federal government hopes to send a message to computer hackers. "It's important to demonstrate that these (computer crime) laws work and let other people know that," said Jay BloomBecker [sic], director of the National Center for Computer Crime Data. An important part of the government's case will be to prove that Morris' acts were intentional, which is requred by the law, said Joseph Tompkins, chairman of the American Bar Association's Task Force on Computer Crime in Washington. __ "If I let them have 40, they'll do 45. If I let them do 45, they'll do 50. If i let them do 50, ..." - Barney Fife -- John Kennedy johnk@opel.UUCP Second Source, Inc. Annapolis, MD
bobk@boulder.Colorado.EDU (Bob Kinne) (08/02/89)
In article <233@opel.UUCP> johnk@opel.UUCP (John Kennedy) writes: > ...Mark Friedell, an assistant professor in computer > science at Harvard University who was an advisor to Morris > when he was working on his bachelor's thesis there, was > apalled yesterday by the indictment. > > "I think what Robert did was very irresponsible, but I don't > think in any way it is the sort of thing you usually think > of as a felony criminal act," Friedell said. "It was the > act of an an immature student, not a criminal." > Hmmm. Acts of immature students and criminal acts are not mutually exclusive. "Borrowing" a car and joyriding it into a wreck, or torching the university computing center are also "acts of immature students." If (and these are questions for courts to decide) Morris placed the worm on the Internet knowingly and with intent to have it disrupt the network, he most assuredly has commited a criminal act. Measured in lost human-hours to correct the damage, this runs into the millions of dollars. I tend to think of this as a felony, and I think Friedell's statement shows the thinking of an immature student. One side of the public debate about so-called hacker crimes seeks to absolve the hacker of all responsibility for the unforeseen consequences of his acts. This just isn't good enough. Part of being an adult is accountability for one's actions and the consequences. "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime."