IT'S NO SHOW FOR 'CODE RED' WORM THREAT LONDON, AUG 1 (KUNA)-- THE MUCH-HYPED "CODE RED" COMPUTER VIRUS APPEARED TO HAVE PASSED BY WEDNESDAY WITHOUT INFLICTING THE WIDESPREAD CHAOS PREDICTED, EXPERTS SAID HERE.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) ENGINEERS ACROSS THE WORLD WERE ON STANDBY THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT BRACING THEMSELVES FOR THE OUTBREAK OF THE "INTERNET RABIES" WHICH WAS TIPPED TO CAUSE MAYHEM ACROSS THE WORLD WIDE WEB.
AS THE CLOCK TICKED PAST THE EARLY HOURS OF THIS MORNING, THE TIME WHEN THE VIRUS WAS ACTIVATED, IT APPEARED THE "CODE RED" WORM HAD NOT SHOWN UP TO CAUSE THE DAMAGE INITIALLY FEARED.
THE US FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION (FBI), WHICH HAS CO-ORDINATED THE RESPONSE TO THE VIRUS, ANNOUNCED AT A MEDIA BRIEFING TODAY THAT THE INTERNET WAS RUNNING AS NORMAL DESPITE THE THREAT.
BUT THE EFFECTS OF THE WORM, OR DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF IT, MAY NOT BE NOTICED FOR SEVERAL DAYS MEANING SYSTEMS ARE NOT IN THE ALL CLEAR YET, THE FBI ADDED.
COMPUTER EXPERT GRAHAM CLULEY, OF THE UK FIRM "SOPHOS ANTI-VIRUS", TOLD REPORTERS THERE HAD BEEN NO REPORTS SO FAR OF ANY HIGH PROFILE CASUALTIES DUE TO THE WORM, BUT ADDED IT MIGHT TAKE A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE INFORMATION WAS MADE PUBLIC.
HE EXPRESSED CONCERN THAT THE PUBLIC MAY TURN A BLIND EYE TO FUTURE COMPUTER SECURITY WARNINGS IF THE "CODE RED" WORM FAILS TO APPEAR.
"IF THIS DOESN'T SEEM TO THE PUBLIC TO BE VERY SERIOUS THEN WHEN THERE'S A REAL THREAT COMING ROUND THE CORNER WHY WOULD ANYONE BELIEVE US", CLULEY ADDED.
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