W32/Fujacks author faces prison: Justice served or a slap on the wrist?

In a follow up to our previous blog, the Chinese court system has convicted Li Jun to a 4 year prison sentence for authoring the W32/Fujacks virus on September 24, 2007. The W32/Fujacks virus (written in November 2006) spreads itself by infecting web pages, poorly secured file shares, and removable media amongst others. But the main objective of the W32/Fujacks virus is to download password stealers that were used to target online accounts.

During the trial, Li Jun’s lawyer attempts to show his value to Chinese society showing an offer letter from a networking company in Hangzhou that is interested in making Li Jun their CTO. His attorney goes on to say that he has received over 10 offers from different companies that are willing to pay Li Jun over 1 million China Yuan per year.

In his closing remarks, Li Jun’s lawyer was quoted as saying “A rare talent who is now regretful of his deeds and hopes to utilize his talents to contribute to society.”

So does the punishment fit the crime? A 4 year prison sentence does sound like a long time, but what will be more interesting is where Li Jun will end up once he has paid his time in prison. Of course, that’s assuming that he does indeed serve his full sentence of 4 years. The trial of Li Jun definitely sets a precedence that the lawmakers are willing to punish those who harm society whether it be via physical means or via cyberspace.

Sources:
http://www.chinacourt.org/html/article/200709/24/266397.shtml
http://www.changjiangtimes.com/htm/2007-9-25/59385.htm
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/6270740.html