It is hard to imagine that one 17 year-old is responsible (or would that be irresponsible?) for nearly three quarters of all viruses received in the first half of 2004:

A teenager arrested in May was responsible for 70 per cent of all viruses received worldwide in the first half of this year.

His worms, Sasser and Netsky, caused huge disruptions to many businesses worldwide. The damage was enough that Microsoft offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

If you ever wanted to get into the head of a global vandal of the juvenile persuasion, here is your best chance:

Mr. Jaschan told the German magazine Stern that he spread the viruses to gain his peers' respect and admiration.

"I felt as if I had written a first-class essay. How Netsky spread, I think it's terrific, and my classmates thought I was terrific. Then it was reported on TV. That was cool. Only occasionally did I wake up in the middle of the night and think, 'Yikes, there might be trouble.' ''

He now hopes to find a job with a computer security company.

And he probably will. After he serves his time in prison - if he serves time in prison. He might not be eligible for incarceration because he wrote the viri before his 18th birthday.

I think a better solution would be a 10 year probation. During this period, housing and food would be provided for him, along with employment at a security company for $100,000 per year. Although Sven will be the one working, his income will be distributed to businesses which can prove damage from these viruses. After ten years, he will have paid a token $1,000,000 and his debt to society (approximately $16 billion for Sasser and $40 billion for Netsky) is written-off.

I'm also assuming that the terms of the probation completely restricts his access to computers of any kind except for work-related business.