Jeffrey Lee Parson, the teen suspected of creating a variant of the destructive MSBlast worm, pleaded not guilty Wednesday in federal court in Seattle to one count of causing damage to a computer.
If convicted of intentionally causing or attempting to cause damage to a computer, the 18-year-old high school senior from Hopkins, Minn., faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. According to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court, Parson told law enforcement officials that he created a variant of the worm, which exploited a flaw in Microsoft"s Windows software. MSBlast and its variants are self-replicating Internet worms that bore through a Windows security hole, harnessing computers to launch concerted data attacks via the Internet. Parson, flanked by two federal public defenders, appeared in a gray T-shirt, jeans and sneakers. Standing over 6 feet tall and weighing more than 300 pounds, he sported a bleach-blond Mohawk haircut and occasionally wiped sweat from his forehead.