Virus Threatened to Kill File-Sharers, Creator Arrested for Copyright Infringement
Written by enigmax on January 24, 2008The author of a bizarre virus which threatened to kill file-sharers has been arrested in Japan. Has he been arrested for making death threats? No! For writing the virus? No! This is the 21st century. He’s been arrested for copyright infringement, of course.
Early March 2007, we reported about a bizarre virus circulating on the Winny network. It was quite unique, in that it taunted file-sharers, threatened to report them to the police and even threatened to kill them.
“This is a visit from the prevalent Piro virus! Stop P2P! If you don’t I’ll tell the police!” it exclaimed, while another message threatened: “Ah, I see you are using P2P again……if you don’t stop within 0.5 seconds, I’m going to kill you!”
Graham Cluley, a consultant for Sophos said of the virus: “This is one of the most bizarre pieces of malware we have seen in our labs for quite some time, but it’s data-destroying payload is no laughing matter.”
Now, the Japanese police say that they have apprehended the three man gang responsible for the creation and distribution of the virus. One man wrote the code, they say, and the others placed it on file-sharing network, Winny.
However, due to Japanese law, it’s going to be tricky for the police to nail someone for creating the malware. They have a trick up their sleeve though, explains Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos: “It isn’t illegal to write viruses in Japan, so the author of the Trojan horse has been arrested for breaching copyright because he used cartoon graphics without permission in his malware.”
The virus creator is a a 24 year old graduate student from Izumisano City in Osaka. It’s claimed he illegally used copyrighted images from an anime television show to create the virus.
The other two members of the group - a 39 year old man from Osaka and a 35 year old man from Hyogo - were also arrested for copyright offenses, unrelated to the virus. The men are suspected of uploading anime episodes onto the Winny network.
One of the images from the virus includes a song about fish-shaped pancakes stuffed with jam, which makes about as much sense as arresting a virus creator for copyright infringement. But hey, this is the 21st century - what did you expect?
Previously: Alchemist Author Pirates His Own Books
Next: Torrent’Em, a Flashy BitTorrent Search Engine
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Ace Attorney Phoenix Wright is expected to defend the defendant.
lol, that is hilarious!
oh no man okay, i will be care okay?
He may have been defeated but I will get you all next.
Hes one of the anti-P2P Demon army.
I am a Anti-P2P Sargent General.
I will make sure to report all your IPs and torrents to the RIAA, I will get thousands of ISPs to arrest their users.
Go ahead come, and get IT..your music.
I have plenty of time to send/file reports to the FBI.
@ Anonymous Cop
Whatever.
Hey, how about we meet somewhere.. I can give you information you might like.
Only in Japan
so let me get this straight…..
some guy writes a virus
guy releases virus on a P2P network
P2P network hurt by virus….
police arrest him for copyright violation…….
you would think that if he did it to hurt P2P that they would have left him alone to continue his work, instead he is now in jail….
so who do the MPAA n crew. have for friends?
or do they belive in the
“the enemy of my enemy is still my enemy” thing
Fair use, you silly Japs (not that I condone virus writing)
Well its just a form of poetic justice being done
[quote comment="271444"]He may have been defeated but I will get you all next.
Hes one of the anti-P2P Demon army.
I am a Anti-P2P Sargent General.
I will make sure to report all your IPs and torrents to the RIAA, I will get thousands of ISPs to arrest their users.
Go ahead come, and get IT..your music.
I have plenty of time to send/file reports to the FBI.[/quote]
Man ru alright i think u must taken high quantity of dope before writing this stuff here i think!!!!!!!.
[quote comment="271444"]He may have been defeated but I will get you all next.
Hes one of the anti-P2P Demon army.
I am a Anti-P2P Sargent General.
I will make sure to report all your IPs and torrents to the RIAA, I will get thousands of ISPs to arrest their users.
Go ahead come, and get IT..your music.
I have plenty of time to send/file reports to the FBI.[/quote]
Don’t you mean Seargent? Or are you a famous water color painter gone mad?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiyaki
shit, someone mentioned it was from Clannad before I could.
idk if I’m more ashamed that I watch that show, couldn’t get the comment, or wanted to comment in the first place.
its not from clannad, its from kanon!
oh well this shows how much of an anime freak i have become lol
[quote comment="271561"]its not from clannad, its from kanon!
oh well this shows how much of an anime freak i have become lol[/quote]
i forgot that they’ve also used images from clannad too :D
anti-P2P Demon army……..
were is Buffy when ya need her.
lol im with #40, BRING BACK BUFFY!
LMAO!
Lmão oK!? Thankeou for info okay?
what a bunch of sad slanty - eyed bastards……if your 30 something i would think that you would have something better to do than that
FUCK EM THEY CAN SLEEP WITH THE JAPANESE RAPISTS TOMORROW!
MALWARE PEDDLIN BUNCH O LIL’ DICK BASTARDS
funny how they manage to catch these guys for creating a virus, but the guy who murdered a british teacher manages to get away
They couldn’t build a case with death threats? I mean isn’t it illegal to conspire murder in Japan?
Nobody likes malware, but everybody likes the person that can detect it (and other viruses) and stop them from wrecking havoc. If that’s you, reach out to me and we’ll talk.
Jim Stroud
Technical Sourcing Consultant
Microsoft
http://mymicrosoftcareer.com/has/jobs/
looool
copyright infringement - no1 crime of the 21st century
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