Intelligence

DATE=07/31/01

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=CODE RED ALERT (L)

NUMBER=2-278823

BYLINE=NICK SIMEONE

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Internet users around the world are being warned to take precautions against what could be the most crippling computer virus to infect the World Wide Web. Correspondent Nick Simeone reports computer security experts are urging people to take precautions.

TEXT: Not since the much-feared threat posed to the world's computers a year and a half ago by the so-called Y-TWO-K glitch has a threatened computer disruption received so much attention and advance warning.

This time, the threat comes from what is being called the 'code-red' worm, a computer program known as a virus, that surfaced earlier this month, defacing websites with the words - hacked by the Chinese. The White House website was among those targeted.

Computer-security experts and the F-B-I are warning the computer virus is poised to make a comeback as early as zero-hour Universal Time Wednesday. But this time, it could be much more aggressive.

Ron Dick heads the F-B-I unit that goes after crimes in cyberspace (the Internet and World Wide Web).

/// DICK ACT ///

There is reason for concern that the mass traffic associated with the worm's propagation could degrade the overall functioning of the Internet and impact ordinary users.

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Experts describe the virus program as a sophisticated and aggressive worm, since it is able to burrow into computer systems and the Internet. Any computer that runs on Microsoft operating systems could be vulnerable.

Paul McNabb, Vice President of Argus Systems, an Illinois-based company focusing on Internet security, expects corporate and government websites will be most at risk - not the individual Internet surfer.

/// MCNABB ACT ///

It has the potential of being very damaging temporarily to certain sites that have been targeted. For most people, it will not affect them. The vast majority of people out there who are running their home machines will not see anything. Some of them might experience some downtime or slowness.

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Earlier this month, the worm infected more than 350-thousand computer systems and slowed the Internet by 40-percent. But the virus can be easily prevented with a protection device that users can download from Microsoft's website.

But not so easy to figure out is who is responsible for unleashing it into cyberspace.

/// THIRD MCNABB ACT //

The fact that it seems to be attacking English language web-sites seems to point to the fact that it might be a non-English speaking attacker and people have pointed to China as a potential one, but we do not know that.

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The F-B-I says it considers the code-red worm a threat to national security since so much business and public service everything from banking to power companies rely on the Internet. (SIGNED)

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