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Suspected Melissa Creator Arrested

Man suspected of creating the Melissa e-mail virus is apprehended.

By Nancy Weil, IDG News   

David L. Smith, 30, of Aberdeen, New Jersey, was arrested last night by members of a law enforcement task force including New Jersey State, Monmouth County, and federal authorities, said Rita Malley, spokesperson for New Jersey Attorney General Peter Verniero, whose office is the lead agency in the investigation. Smith was nabbed at his brother's home in Eatontown, which is near Aberdeen.

Smith was charged with interruption of public communications, conspiracy to interrupt public communications, and attempted interruption of public communications, all of which are second-degree felonies. He also was charged with theft of computer services and damage or wrongful access to computer services, both of which are third-degree felonies.

Smith was released last night on $100,000 bail and will be arraigned on Monday, Malley said, and added that he could face federal charges.

Smith allegedly created the Melissa virus and then sent it out on a listserv, Malley said, although she did not have additional details regarding which listserv. The virus wreaked havoc worldwide on e-mail accounts last weekend and earlier this week.

The virus had been linked to a possibly stolen America Online account by independent sleuths working to track down its origin, according to previously published reports. Although an AOL attorney contacted the New Jersey Attorney General's office with information leading to Smith's arrest, Malley said that Smith apparently did not use an AOL account to disseminate the virus.

Malley said that additional details regarding precisely how Smith sent out the Melissa virus would be available following a 1 p.m. press conference with law enforcement officials in Trenton, New Jersey, the state capital.

While Malley said she is not aware of exactly what kind of job Smith has, she described him as "a computer person, that's for sure." However, whether he works for a company or as an independent contractor wasn't clear to Malley this morning.

Unleashed a week ago, Melissa has been the fastest-spreading computer virus ever known, and has shut down e-mail service temporarily at many corporations. It targets Microsoft Exchange servers and Microsoft Outlook e-mail clients, and has been followed by many variants.