Web Hosting News - Internet Worm Ready for Serious Strike

[NewsDesk]

Leading government and industry groups working to protect the Internet held a joint press conference today to address the threat of the "Code Red" Internet Worm and to warn the public to take necessary preventative measures to combat its further spread.

The groups warned that the Code Red Internet worm continues to pose a threat to users and is poised to strike again on July 31st, at 8pm EDT when a stronger version weaves its way through systems across the globe.

They said it is likely that this Distributed Denial of Service could impact businesses and home users as the Internet slows down dramatically. The Code Red worm takes advantage of a flaw discovered in June in Microsoft's Internet Information Services software used on Internet servers.

This flaw allows an attacker to gain full control of a server that has not been patched to correct the weakness. Most system administrators and users will not even know they have been compromised.

The groups collaborated on a joint technical alert, issued on Sunday July 29, to spread the word on the need to take preventative actions to protect against the worm, which the groups say has the potential to mutate into more damaging variations. The alert is available online at: www.digitalisland.net/coderedalert

"The Internet has become indispensable to our national security and economic well being. Worms like "Code Red" pose a distinct threat to the Internet. The protection of the Internet requires a partnership with the government, private companies and the public as a whole," said Ron Dick, Director of the National Infrastructure Protection Center. "Today's press conference is evidence of this partnership in action."

"This worm has the potential to affect all of our infrastructures, which is why the Partnership for Critical Infrastructure Security, a public-private collaborative effort, is here today," said Ken Watson, Chairman of the Partnership for Critical Infrastructure Security.

Groups involved in today's joint warning are:

Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office (CIAO)

Federal Computer Incidence Response Center (FedCIRC)

National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC)

Information Technology Association of America (ITAA)

Microsoft Corporation

CERT Coordination Center

Internet Security Systems (ISS)

SANS Institute

Internet Security Alliance (ISA)

Information Technology - Information Sharing and Analysis Center (IT-ISAC)

National Coordinating Center for Telecommunications (NCC)

The Partnership for Critical Infrastructure Security (PCIS) is a collaborative effort of industry and Government to address risks to the Nation's critical infrastructures and assure the delivery of essential services over the nation's critical infrastructures.

The mission of the Partnership is to work with the federal government to promote the critical infrastructure security of the United States by focusing on cross-industry sector issues.

The National Infrastructure Protection Center (Center) evolved from the FBI's Computer Investigations and Infrastructure Threat Assessment Center, and has been given a national, critical infrastructure protection mission per Presidential Decision Directive (PDD) 63.

The Center was designed to bring under a single entity responsibility for coordinating the Government's efforts to prevent and respond to attacks and illegal cyber activities directed towards our critical infrastructures. It operates under the investigative and national security authorities of the Attorney General.

The mission of the Center is to detect, deter, warn of, respond to, and investigate malicious acts, both physical and cyber, that threaten or target the Nation's critical infrastructure.