Subscription Center
Aug 27, 2008 04:13 PM | 2
Computer viruses—the scourge of technology on Earth—have now become a problem in space, too. NASA has confirmed that the malevolent programs have also posed problems in computers astronauts bring with them on missions, the latest occurring when laptops infected with the Gammima.AG virus were ferried to the International Space Station (ISS) last month. The possible source, according to SpaceRef.com: a software download, a personal flash card or USB storage device. The site also reports that some laptops used in the ISS lack virus protection and detection software.
The virus reportedly did not affect ISS operations, but it spotlights computer vulnerabilities hundreds of miles above the Earth's surface. The astronauts used the infected laptops to run nutritional programs and to periodically e-mail friends and family back home, the BBC reports.
Earthbound computers were first hit by Gammima.AG last year when the virus was found in computers running Microsoft's Windows operating system. The virus—known to spread through removable media like flash cards and USB memory sticks—turned out to be a worm that monitors Microsoft Internet Explorer use. Its specialty: stealing account information and passwords of players using the MapleStory online game, and sending that data back to the worm's author via e-mail or the Web, technology security firm Symantec reported in March 2007.
ISS computers can't connect to the Internet, but Gammima.AG has the ability to install itself on a user's computer, remain hidden and activate itself when a network connection is detected. NASA downplayed the news, calling the virus a "nuisance" on space station laptops used for relatively non-critical tasks, according to WIRED.
This interstellar infection provides insight into NASA security lapses as well how the agency's astronauts spend their free time. Apparently this includes indulging in multiplayer online role-playing games that involve embarking on virtual quests and slaying monsters. As if leaving the planet wasn't exciting enough.
(Image courtesy of NASA)
Tags:
NASA,
software,
virus,
Computers,
ISS,
video game
More News Blog:
Next: Pot is good for you? Marijuana fights the superbugs
Previous: Fabled Northwest Passage open for business in the Arctic
See what we're tweeting about
TetZoo For #Rio #pterosaur symposium 2013: ideas and uncertainties related to the reproductive biology of pterosaurs... http://t.co/3xpP48vrqK
notscientific One ingenious way to engage readers in longform content. And it worked like a charm. By @mathewi http://t.co/9KlLiFTWeJ TetZoo #TetZoo work from 2013: #sexual selection in #dinosaurs & other #fossil taxa, Edwardian #lynx from Devon. Available: http://t.co/2U4WZPNskc
Deadline: Aug 31 2013
Reward: $100,000 USD
The Geoffrey Beene Foundation Alzheimer’s Initiative (GBFAI) is launching the 2013 Geoffrey Beene Global NeuroDiscovery Challenge whose
Deadline: Jun 30 2013
Reward: $1,000,000 USD
This is a Reduction-to-Practice Challenge that requires written documentation and&
Powered By: 
YES! Send me a free issue of Scientific American with no obligation to continue the subscription. If I like it, I will be billed for the one-year subscription.
2 Comments
Add Commenthack the galaxy, dude!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishack the galaxy, dude!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this