By Will Sturgeon, 15 August 2001 08:38
NEWS A British man has been arrested on charges that he was responsible for the creation and release of a potentially dangerous computer worm. The W32-Leaves.worm was designed to allow hackers to gain control of a user's home PC and infected a number of PCs earlier this year. An intruder using the access provided by the worm can gain complete control of an individual's machine and do with it what they choose - whether that be delete all its contents, commit further hacks or just have a look around. However, according to US newswires, the potentially destructive worm barely registered with antivirus firms at the time. The man was detained in the UK following a joint operation by Scotland Yard and the FBI - he now faces up to five years in prison.
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