We were startled by the quantity of data directed at this single machine. Even a lone spam zombie can spew huge volumes of illegal e-mail across the Internet.

We were surprised by the quantity of data that a single one of these Trojans was able to steal... We don't know how many were generated or sold before the system was dismantled, and so the number of companies whose data is now in jeopardy could be very high.

After we did some initial investigation here, we were able to file a civil lawsuit and through the issuance of subpoenas learn quite a bit about who was responsible, and then transmitted all of this information to the FBI for pursuit and follow-through. I think that the guilty plea is evidence of the strength of the government's case against Mr. Harris and demonstrates the government's commitment to aggressively pursue these cases.

The amount of spam coming from some individuals, or a spam ring, can be staggering. If these people in particular are sued, and their operations shut down, the effect would be considerable.

As always, people should be smart about opening any attachment or downloading files, and never open attachments from unknown sources.

In the intervening 11 years . . . police know now that every single thing that they do directed towards natives is going to be under the microscope and that they have to err on the side of caution, always.