spaf@cs.purdue.edu (Gene Spafford) (12/11/90)
The Dallas prosecutor's office is going to move ahead and file charges against the author of the Scores virus. To help get a handle on the scope of the damages done by the virus, they would appreciate hearing from people who have had the Scores virus. The information will not be used on an item-by-item basis in the trial, and you won't be called as a witness -- they have lots of hard evidence already. However, they need some information to show that the virus has caused extensive damage outside of EDS (where it was originally released). If you are willing to help with this effort, send a letter to Lt. Walt Manning Dallas Police Dept. 1840 Chestnut. St. Dallas, TX 75226 Include specifics on when your system(s) got hit with the Scores virus, any damage it did, and approximately what it took in terms of time and expense to clean your systems. Other data relating to the infection will also be appreciated. According to Lt. Manning, he would also appreciate (separate) letters from people on company/school letterhead stating that viruses such as Scores are major problems in the computing community and their authors should be prosecuted under appropriate law, if feasible. Nothing extreme here -- he needs some rational, reasoned letters of support "just in case". Lt. Manning says they've discussed it some and expect the suspect to plead guilty when shown the evidence they have against him. They are probably going to probably seek a suspended sentence along with community service and a public apology. They don't believe that extended jail time will help here, but they want to make it clear that writing viruses is a wrong thing to do, and if caught the authors will face punishment.