Apparently, UK courts don’t take $9.6 million in damages as seriously as the US, and even then it’s way too lenient in the US as well. From PCWorld .com (emphasis added):
LONDON — Two British men who pleaded guilty to charges they helped create the “TK worm” were sentenced to prison Friday in Newcastle Crown Court. The worm infected thousands of computers, including two owned by the Department of Defense.
Jordan Bradley, a 22-year-old electrician, was sentenced to three months imprisonment and Andrew Harvey received six months, according to the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU). Harvey is 23 years old and unemployed. Both men were part of the international hacking gang called the Thr34t Krew (TK).
From the same article:
A U.S. man, Raymond Paul Steigerwalt, was sentenced to 21 months in prison in May in connection with the Thr34t Krew, and ordered to pay $12,000 in restitution to the DOD. Steigerwalt, 21, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit fraud and one count of possession of child pornography.
Cyberpunks like these guys ought to receive a penalty suitable for the crime – they caused almost ten million dollars in damages – if I were legislating penalties to cover these crimes, I would impose a minimum of 10 years in prison. If i were the judge applying the sentence I would administer the maximum penalty under the law. How the hell else will the potential thousands of these types of criminals be deterred?
You may read the entire article at PCWorld.com – British Hackers Jailed for Worm.