SEATTLE (AP) — A 19-year-old man was sentenced Friday to 1 1/2 years in prison for unleashing an Internet worm that crippled 48,000 computers in 2003.
Jeffrey Lee Parson of Hopkins, Minn., will serve his time at a low-security prison and must also perform 10 months of community service.
He could have gotten 10 years behind bars, but the judge took pity on him, saying his neglectful parents were to blame for the psychological troubles that led to his actions.
The Internet "has created a dark hole, a dungeon if you will, for people who have mental illnesses or people who are lonely," U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman said. "I didn't see any parent standing there saying, 'It's not a healthy thing to lock yourself in a room and create your own reality.' "