Criminal investigators in the US have warned that computer systems around the world could be under threat from a rapidly spreading programme. The worm, known as Code Red, has the potential to cause extensive disruption to the Internet.
FBI officials warned that Code Red could deface websites, disrupt email systems and slow down the Internet. Electronic systems in the Republic will face possible attack from the virus at 1am tomorrow.
Unlike other kinds of viruses, worms do not erase files or otherwise damage the infected computer. Named after a soft drink favoured by computer programmers, Code Red works by installing itself on computers that are then instructed to bombard government websites and others with data, which can slow them down.
If the warnings hold true, it would be the second Code Red attack on the Internet in less than two weeks. On 19 July, Code Red infected more than 250,000 systems in just nine hours, according to the FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Centre (NIPC).
Computers running the Windows NT or Windows 2000 operating systems and Microsoft's Internet Information Server (IIS) software version 4.0 or 5.0 are vulnerable to infection, and the NIPC recommended the installation of a software patch. Instructions for the patch are available at www.digitalisland.net/codered.
If a computer becomes infected, turning the machine off and then on gets rid of the worm but does not provide immunity from future infection. Unlike other kinds of viruses, the Code Red worm does not erase files or otherwise damage the infected computer. Other worms have been known to do so, however, and it is possible that other variants of Code Red could appear which do cause such damage.
