Alan looked around him stealthily. The computer room in the university was deserted except for a hardworking soul whose eyes did not leave the computer screen when Alan entered the room. Alan sat down quietly behind him and nervously typed in a program that had taken him months to write. He was fully aware that his action was illegal but he could not resist testing out his program.
The computers in Alan's university were tied to an Internet communications network which connected computers at other universities and businesses. Alan's program instructed the computer to copy the original program hundreds of times. Another command told the computer to send copies of the original program to every other system linked to it. As a results of Alan's action, almost six thousand computers
were brought to a standstill. The computers could not perform their normal functions because they were full of redundant electronic files. The total damage was estimated to be ten million dollars.
The investigators managed to trace the crime to Alan who also admitted what he had done to a friend. He was expelled from the university and had to pay a substantial fine. He deeply regretted what he had done.