Do you remember the panda incense burning virus that poisoned computers across the country in 2006? Do you know who its author is? Why did he make this virus? What happened to him later? Today, I will uncover the whole process of this mysterious hacking event for you, so that you can see the rise and fall history of a realistic version of the madman genius.
Panda burning incense: a prank or a conspiracy?
In October 2006, a computer virus called "Panda Burning Incense" began spreading on the Internet. This virus infects all executable files on your computer, turning their icon into a national treasure panda worshipping three sticks of incense. Sounds cute, right? However, this is only the appearance. This virus will secretly run in the background, occupying a lot of system resources, resulting in slow computer running, crash, blue screen and other situations. What's more frightening is that this virus will automatically spread through the network, U disk, QQ and other ways to infect other computers. It also removes or modifies antivirus software to render it ineffective.
The virus spread rapidly across the country, causing enormous damage and repercussions. Many Internet cafes, companies, schools, and government offices have been affected, and important documents and data have been destroyed or lost. Many netizens hate the virus to the bone, and have issued wanted warrants on the Internet to reward the author of the virus. Some even offered a $100,000 bounty.
So, who made this virus? What is his motivation? Is it for pranks, or for conspiracy?
Li Jun: The growth path of a hacker genius
The author of this virus is Li Jun, an ordinary young man born in Xinzhou, Hubei Province in 1982. He has been interested in computers since he was a child, and he was fascinated by the Internet in his second year of junior high school, meeting some hacker masters in Internet cafes and learning hacking techniques from them. He is self-taught and has a lot of knowledge of programming languages and networking. He also gave himself a screen name: Whboy - Wuhan Boy.
Li Jun is not satisfied with just learning hacking techniques, he also wants to show his talent and strength. He started making some Trojans and viruses and posting them online. His earliest famous work was the "Wuhan Boy" Trojan, a number-stealing Trojan spread through QQ, which was listed by the Jiangmin Anti-Virus Center as one of the top ten viruses in 2005 because of its frequent variants and widespread spread.
Li Jun did not stop because of this, but became more arrogant and unscrupulous. He began to show off his skills and achievements in some hacker forums and groups, and also provided services to steal QQ numbers. He gradually gained a certain fame and influence in the hacker circle, and also met some fellow Chinese people. He felt like a hacking genius, unbeatable.
Panda Burning Incense: The Collapse of a Hacking Genius
On October 16, 2006, Li Jun compiled the "Panda Incense Burning" virus, which was widely spread on the Internet. This virus is his proud work, but also his collapse work.
Li Jun's original intention of making the "Panda Burning Incense" virus was to show off his hacking skills and was very high-profile. He will deliberately leave some personal information in the virus, and communicate with anti-virus experts with code by implanting code in the virus. He also thanks people who follow him in each variant, and even teases and provokes them. He feels like a hacker god who can't be caught and stopped, and he enjoys this thrill like no other.
However, Li Jun did not realize that his behavior had violated the law and morality, bringing great harm and losses to society and the public. He also did not realize that his behavior had attracted great attention and emergency response from the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center and the public security department. He also did not realize that his behavior had provoked anger and resistance from the anti-virus community and netizens.
Wuhan Boys: The path to a hacker genius
On January 22, 2007, the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center responded to the emergency response and was wanted nationwide as the author of "Panda Burning Incense". On February 3, Li Jun was arrested by the Public Security Bureau of Xiantao City, Hubei Province. This is the first time that the mainland has cracked a case of manufacturing and spreading computer viruses.
After Li Jun was captured, he confessed to his crime. He said he made "panda burning incense" just for fun and didn't expect it to have such an impact. He also said he didn't profit directly from it, but simply sold the panda incense to some third-party buyers, not knowing what they would use it for. However, it turns out that these buyers are all people who use "panda burning incense" to carry out illegal activities such as game number theft, advertising promotion, and malicious competition. Li Jun illegally made more than 100,000 yuan in this way.
On September 24, 2007, Li Jun was sentenced by the Xiantao City People's Court to four years' imprisonment and fined 12,000 yuan for destroying computer information systems. This is the first time that the mainland has imposed judicial punishment on those who produce and spread computer viruses.
Li Jun: After a hacker genius was released from prison
On the afternoon of December 24, 2009, Li Jun was released early due to his good performance in prison. After being released from prison, Li Jun acted very low-key
• There are still people who remember the famous hacker god of the year, and his story was also made into the movie "Panda Burning Incense", which attracted a lot of attention and discussion. However, Li Jun did not appear in the public eye again, he chose seclusion and silence. It is said that after he was released from prison, he returned to his hometown of New Island, found an ordinary job, and lived a dull life. He no longer had access to computers and the Internet, nor did he make any more viruses or Trojans. He seems to have completely abandoned his hacking dreams and is also remorse and remorse for his past.
• Li Jun's story has brought us many enlightenments and warnings. On the one hand, we should respect and appreciate those who have genius computer technology and creativity, who are pioneers and innovators in the Internet age. On the other hand, we should also be vigilant and guard against those who abuse and misuse computer technology and creativity, who are saboteurs and criminals in the Internet age. We should use computers and the Internet in the right way and for the right purpose to bring well-being to society and the public, not harm.
This is the story I wrote for you about Li Jun, the author of the panda burning incense virus. If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave a message in the comment area. I will get back to you as soon as possible. If you think my article is valuable, please like, comment, share it with your friends. Please also follow my account, I will continue to bring you more interesting, informative and in-depth articles. Thank you!