Sasser suspect spawned second worm

An 18-year-old German youth who confessed to creating the “Sasser” computer worm apparently released a new version of the program shortly before he was arrested last week, investigators said in Berlin.

The teenager was arrested on Friday in the northern town of Waffensen after informants seeking a reward tipped off Microsoft.

In a search of his family’s home, German investigators confiscated his computer, which contained the worm’s source code.

German investigators said Microsoft had reported some computer users were having problems with “Sasser e,” a new variant of the worm.

Frank Federau, a spokesman for the state criminal office in Hanover, said the worm was “a slightly modified form” of the program that raced around the world over the past week, exploiting a flaw in Microsoft’s Windows operating system.

The suspect likely programmed it “immediately before his discovery”, he said.

Four versions of Sasser were already known. Police have said the German teenager, whose name was not released, was responsible for all of them in addition to the “Netsky” virus.

The student is being investigated on suspicion of computer sabotage, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

He was released pending charges after questioning last Friday, where he admitted to creating Sasser, police said.