An Oregon man pleaded guilty to using a "worm" program to take control of 20,000 computers via the Internet and launch an attack on auction website eBay in 2003, US prosecutors said. Anthony Clark, 21, faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of at least 250,000 dollars, according to Luke Macaulay of the US Attorney's Office.
Clark and accomplices unleashed a "worm" program that burrowed into computers with Microsoft Windows operating systems and turned the machines into obedient "bots", Macaulay said.
When Clark gave the commands, the bots launched online attacks on eBay and other websites, according to prosecutors.
The drone computers jammed the websites with requests, overloading them in what is called a denial-of-service attack, because it results in legitimate users being shut out, according to prosecutors.
Clark was arrested as part of a "Botnet" investigation by the US Secret Service and the US Attorney's Office, Macaulay said.
Clark pleaded guilty in a federal court in the Silicon Valley city of San Jose on Tuesday, prosecutors said.
