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Computer Virus Aboard the ISS

Posted by timothy on from the like-a-little-piece-of-home dept.

chrb writes "BBC News is reporting that laptops taken to the International Space Station by NASA astronauts are infected with the Gammima.AG worm. The laptops have no net connection; officials suspect the worm may have been transferred via a USB flash drive owned by an astronaut. NASA have said this isn't the first time computer viruses had travelled into space."

6 of 290 comments (clear)

  1. One has to ask by toby · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What *Windows* is doing in space in the first place.

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    you had me at #!
  2. Re:Solid proof!!!! by Tridus · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Wow, someone who actually believes AV software stops viruses effectively?

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    -- "So they told me that using the download page to download something was not something they anticipated." - Bill Gates
  3. NASA needs Linux by MrSmith0011000100110 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is even further proof that NASA(as well as most every other major organization) needs to move away from the virus laden, insecure, corporate blunder we call Microsoft. Sure Exchange is a great mail system but its still just an iteration of a wheel that was created long before it. Were a giant like NASA or Boeing or Lockheed Martin or the US Govt itself to step away from the Microsoft Corporation, we'd start to see whatever the new adoptee was (preferably Linux) take some serious light and hopefully outshine the Gates machine.

  4. Re:Solid proof!!!! by TheRaven64 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Antivirus software is typically only effective if regularly updated. In machines that aren't networked, getting these updates is very tricky.

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    I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  5. Re:digital genocide by Chineseyes · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If they're not more careful, we might find someday intelligent artificial life out there... and kill it.

    Yes, because intelligent artificial lifeforms will definitely be running windows Vista on an x86 architecture.

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    I think the invisible hand of the market has its middle finger extended

    --A wise old fart named SC0RN
  6. the laptops have no net connection .. by rs232 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "The laptops have no net connection .."

    So, how do they send/receive email ..

    "The laptops infected with the virus were used to run nutritional programs and let the astronauts periodically send e-mail back to Earth"

    So, they do have a net connection ..

    "The laptops carried by astronauts reportedly do not have any anti-virus software on them to prevent infection"

    So how did they detect the 'infection' by the Gammima.AG worm ..

    "The ISS has no direct net connection"

    How do the laptops send/recieve email .. speculation by a slashdot reader don't count ..

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    "We are having a hard time understanding the how and why, but everything is working", Commander Bill Sheperd Feb 2001

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    davecb5620@gmail.com