Once he's finished his sentence

Eyebrows have been raised after a Chinese virus writer was deluged with job offers after being jailed for four years for creating the Fujacks worm.

Chinese media reports suggest that 25 year-old Li Jun has been offered a £66,000 a year job by Jushu Technology, a firm based in Hangzhou City. According to Li's lawyer, he has been offered around 10 jobs.

"It is important that the IT community does not send out a message that writing viruses or worms is cool, or a fast track into employment," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos.

"Li Jun broke the law and infected innocent people's computers and websites, causing financial damage. To reward his criminal act, infamy and bad behaviour with a job offer in the IT industry is frankly perverse."

The offer has raised concerns in the industry because it breaks the increasingly shaky unwritten agreement that security software companies in the West will not employ former virus writers.

Sven Jaschan, who authored the widespread Netsky and Sasser worms, caused outrage in the IT community three years ago when he was hired by a German security firm.