HiWAAY: Information/Internet Services
New Internet Attack Jamming the 'Net
September 18, 2001 (Huntsville, Ala.)
Starting shortly after 9 a.m. EDT
today, a worldwide computer attack was launched using a computer worm that
targets Microsoft IIS servers. The attack has created Internet traffic jams
across the globe. While the origin of the worm is not yet known, its working
name is NIMDA, and it's threat is ranked as very high and rapidly
increasing.
This worm only infects unpatched IIS servers, version 4.0, 5.0, and internal
networks, but it is not Code Red or a Code Red variant. According to
information made available to HiWAAY Internet Services, the growth rate of
this worm is exceedingly rapid - much faster than any worm to date and
significantly faster than Code Red and any of its variants.
According to Charles Boley, manager of Customer Support for HiWAAY:
"This attack is obviously virulent and is spewing a huge amount of traffic
that will likely cause slow and/or failed connections across the Internet.
Until we know more, the best advice we can give right now is to make sure
your anti-virus software is up to date and that your firewall is running.
And as always, do not open attachments with a .exe or.dll extension and be
sure that you've patched your version of Windows, particularly if you're
running IIS.
We will post more to the Viruses and Security section of our web site as we
learn more. It's important to note that while this worm may not 'infect'
individuals' computers, it 'effects' the speed at which data travels
throughout the Internet."
To learn more about protecting your computer from viruses, please visit
www.hiwaay.net and click on "Alert: Virus and Security Information," or
contact Customer Support at 888/244-9229. HiWAAY Internet Services is
offering a Computer Virus Seminar series through local Chambers of Commerce,
colleges and Better Business Bureaus. For more information on this seminar
series, go to www.hiwaay.net/seminar.
