Microsoft has decided not to collect a $500,000 fine from Blaster-B worm author Jeffrey Lee Parson. Instead, Parson will have to do an additional 225 hours community service on top of the year and a half in prison and 100 hours community service already ordered. The two parties earlier this week signed a legal agreement releasing Parson from his financial obligation to Microsoft, Reuters reports.

As we previously reported (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/31/blaster_kiddo_sentencing/), Parson was jailed for 18 months in January 2004 after pleading guilty to "intentionally causing damage to a protected computer".

Parson created Blaster-B after modifying the original Blaster worm and launching it onto the internet in early August 2003. It launched a distributed denial-of-service attack against a Microsoft's Windows update website from infected computers. Around 48,000 computers were infected, and court filings estimated the damage caused at $1.2m.

Tim Cranton, senior attorney at Microsoft, said in a statement: "Mr. Parson's additional community service will have a stronger impact on him in serving his sentence." What that actually means is not noted. ®

Related stories

Blaster copycat author jailed for 18 months (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/31/blaster_kiddo_sentencing/)
Lawyers demand hard time for Blaster teen (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/26/blaster_presentencing/)
Blaster teen pleads guilty (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/12/blaster_kiddie_pleads_guilty/)