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NASA Confirms Virus On Space Station
By Mike Sachoff
Staff Writer
Article Date: 2008-08-28
NASA has confirmed that some laptops on the International Space Station have been infected with the W31.Gammima.AG virus, a worm that steals users names and passwords for online games.
Symantec detected the virus on August 27, 2007 as a worm affecting Windows 2000, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, and Windows XP. The virus spreads by copying itself to removable media.
"This is not the first time we have had a worm or virus," said NASA spokesman Kelly Humphries. "It's not a frequent occurrence, but this isn't the first time. The bottom line it is a nuisance for us."
Due to NASA security policies, Humphries would not release details about how the virus made it to the International Space Station. Humphries said none of the previous viruses found on computers aboard the International Space Station have had any operational impact.
The laptops the astronauts use do not have an anti-virus system. To prevent future incidents, NASA said all laptops will be updated with the latest version of Norton AntiVirus.
NASA says it is still investigating how the virus got on the International Space Station laptops, but may not reveal information due to security reasons. The International Space Station crew is working on preventing the virus from spreading and on stopping similar problems from occurring again.
About the Author:
Mike is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest ebusiness news.
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