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CNN Live At Daybreak

Be Alert for Code Red II Worm

Aired August 06, 2001 - 07:42   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
VINCE CELLINI, CNN ANCHOR: If the storm isn't affecting you, maybe this is. There's a new computer worm to worry about this morning, similar to the Code Red worm that made headlines last week.

And CNN's science correspondent Ann Kellan joins us to talk about this.

Is it a mutation or maybe not?

ANN KELLAN, SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're not really sure right now if it's a mutation or not or if it's a copycat. It's called Code Red II because in the program of the worm itself it says Code Red and then II in Roman numerals. But they're not sure.

It could be just a copycat, somebody going around trying to -- it invades the same way that the last Code worm - the last worm did. The same way into the Win 2000 - Windows 2000 and usually the server has to be loaded so it really mainly attacks business computers. But it is also clogging up traffic on the Internet. It's a little slow. It's not something to panic about, but this one is a little bit more pervasive. It is more persistent. It seems to be wanting to get into the computers that it can.

CELLINI: How so? It is more serious than the original?

KELLAN: Well, it...

CELLINI: What other problems can it present?

KELLAN: Well, what's more serious about it is that once it gets into your computer it will create another back door which is another vulnerability, another way that somebody else can come in and manipulate your computer and get into your files.

Now last week when we told you about the other worm, there was a patch you could fix. And right here we can go, there is Microsoft Tech Net, where you can pretty much get a rundown and get a patch loaded on your computer and that will clear up the problem. But if you didn't load the patch and you got infected with this worm, you now have another back door to worry about. And we could probably go to Symantec.com which will give you sort of an idea of what to look out for and ways you could possibly correct this new back door. And that's the big problem is it gives another back door, another way that people can sneak in. CELLINI: Stay on that for us, will you?

KELLAN: OK, and we'll be watching...

CELLINI: Ann Kellan,...

KELLAN: ... it throughout the day.

CELLINI: All right. Thank you very much.

KELLAN: You're welcome.

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