A Virus That Crashed Email Servers

A man wrote a document-macro virus and released it onto the internet. It arrived as an email that looked like a message from a colleague. When the attachment was opened, the virus mailed itself on to the first fifty addresses in that person's own address book. It spread so fast that company and government email systems had to be shut down. Prosecutors put the damage at over $80 million. The charge required proof that he meant to cause damage.