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Computer virus discovered at space station PDF Print E-mail
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Thursday, 28 August 2008 10:15
Tags: Electronics & Web Space News Facts
International Space Station

W32.Gammima.AG worm makes it to orbit

Gammima.AG was found on laptops brought by astronauts to the International Space Station.

NASA says that it's not the first virus to be found on it's flown equipment.

In this case, W32.Gammima.AG wasn't harmful to any control systems aboard the International Space Station.  However, it shows that computer security could be tighter as in principle a much more harmful virus could make it's way onto the station.

According to information provided by computer security specialists Symantec, W32.Gammima.AG is spread by copying itself to removable media.  It then makes its way to the new system and lurks there, searching for passwords to a number of online games and sending these back to a central server.


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written by David M, February 10, 2009 - 11:24 GMT
Ok... Maybe this is a bit unfair - but why have software running Window$ on your space station at all? Surely some flavor of Linux / UNIX would be more secure? At least there's not such a deluge of virus' as there is for the MS-OS!
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written by Captain Kirk, February 10, 2009 - 11:33 GMT
Nothing is perfectly secure... And in this case it looks like the virus got in not due to a security flaw in the OS or hackers - but because of someone infecting their laptop with a virus from a USB stick.

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