Mysterious virus strikes FBI
Summary
The FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service were forced to shut down parts of their computer networks after a mystery virus struck the law-enforcement agencies Thursday.
Topics
The FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service were forced to shut down parts of their computer networks after a mystery virus struck the law-enforcement agencies Thursday, according to an Associated Press report.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service confirmed that it had disconnected from Justice Department computers as a precaution after being hit with the virus, while an FBI spokesperson would only say that it was experiencing similar issues, according to the report.
"We too are evaluating a network issue on our external, unclassified network that's affecting several government agencies," FBI spokesman Mike Kortan told the AP.
The virus' type and origin are unknown, but spokespeople for both agencies said agencies' access to the Internet and e-mail was shut down while the issue was evaluated.
Government regulations require agencies to report any security issues to US-Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), but a call to CERT late Thursday for comment was not immediately returned.
This article was originally posed on CNET News.
Talkback Most Recent of 194 Talkback(s)
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Not a Linux OS, then ...
A virus eh? Now, which OS is always open to viruses - ah yes, Windows. Time to face facts ... Windows' inherent vulnerability to virus/trojan/worm attack means it is a security risk. If only the FBI weren't stupid users who haven't patched, eh? Oh, wait a minute -
whisperycat22nd May 2009 -
Could be any OS
Even Linux.
Time to face the facts... That no OS is invulnerable.
Cylon Centurion22nd May 2009 -
And yet, you can bet money and be almost certain to win
that it was their Windows machines that were affected.
frgough22nd May 2009 -
*ahem*
FBI's internal machines are mainly macs. The field
machines are mainly pc's.
http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/215
Now we don't know which was attacked here, but
it's not necessarily Windows...
evilkillerwhale@...25th May 2009 -
Probably those WinTel devices...
that he was referring to in the article.
Good article by the way, thanks for the link!
JCitizen1st Jun 2009 -
Yeah, yer right...
When are they going to wake up and realize that Paper and Pencils and Typewriters don't get viruses...
I think we all know by now that if a person wishes to perform an act of malice via executable code they will do it to any OS. Lets all be adults about this and stop projecting the blame off the idiots making all this trouble in the first place.
ReadWryt (error)27th May 2009 -
Sorry, it's not so black and white.
Just because other operating systems aren't 100%
perfect, does not mean that they are
as bad as windows! There are shades of gray in
between.
AzuMao28th May 2009 -
It's not a black and white situation, though.
Just because something isn't 100% perfect at
everything doesn't mean it's at windows'
level..
There are shades of gray in between.AzuMao25th May 2009 -
to clarify chances
as for the shades of gray here ... it might have been windows - 99% chance, or it might as well been other OS - 1% chance.
dcdavy25th May 2009 -
Macs are the easiest to hack, but market share may agree with your %'s.
But if the man is right and most FBI internal machines are macs then... you figure it out. We know the workstations weren't Nixies.
invmgr@...1st Jun 2009 -
Actually market share isn't the issue here.
We're not even talking about gross count of
infections. We're talking about infections per
capita.AzuMao2nd Jun 2009 -
Infections Per Capita....
OMFG, No you are the only person NOT talking Market Share.
You are so bent on slamming Windows you have to resort to making **** up to prove your point... Infections per capita???? PLEASE DO EXPLAIN YOUR DRIVEL GEORGE JETSON. And lets have proof and charts and graphs like you insist everyone else give.
Timewellwasted13th Jun 2009 -
Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse you.
Per capita is a very well known concept, it's
simply a way to correct for population
differences. If you want a more detailed
explanation look it up in a dictionary.AzuMao14th Jun 2009 -
could be any OS
That's just too funny! I would bet a years wages it is a windows system, and win! Windows is a "swiss cheese" OS.
ator194025th May 2009 -
Or perhaps no...
Time to the facts... There are O.S. that are much more vulnerable than others.
paulo.s.lima25th May 2009
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