Well, it has finally happened. The computer virus, started way back (at least in its popular form) on the Apple IIe, has made it's way into outer space! The International Space Station has been infected with a virus carried by one of the astronauts on a USB stick. In fact, that is how *all* viruses are transmitted; they need a host of some sort. Whether it's a file set through email or a physical vector like a flash drive, viruses can't act or propagate on their own.
However it was not the Stuxnet virus as many outlets are reporting. You may recall Stuxnet was the virus that infected Iran's nuclear plants a couple of years ago.
On a related note, look what came up while I was researching this: Just another example of why you have to be careful what yo read and where it comes from. They're not quite exact opposites, but they're close.
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| So which was it? |
You would think that something as important as the International Space Station would have protocols in place for not allowing random USB sticks to be connected to the station. Furthermore, why do they not have super state of the are antivirus protection? Accidents happen, but this seems to easy. Let's just say there is alien life, and they are far more technologically advanced...could they take over the world with a simple USB drive infected with a virus? Obviously security isn't the highest priority on the International Space Station.
ReplyDeleteI am wondering if Amazon will get infected with a virus. Amazon is now a threat to Citrix because it is taking over the virtual office space. For a monthly fee a client can have cloud computing through Amazon and not buy Citrix.
ReplyDeleteThis post is pretty interesting. It just comes to show that all technology can be infected by a virus. In this case, a virus in outer space is very serious. As the comment above mentions, the ISS should have protocols for what goes into their systems because viruses could affect a large area on Earth.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post. It amazes me when big corporations, government sites and important stations get viruses. You would think they would take extreme measures to prevent this from happening because they have a very high level of importance. People always have to be careful on what links they click on when their on the internet, by not paying attention could cost you a virus.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't you think that the astronauts in the Space Station had something that could scan their flash drives for viruses BEFORE they plugged them into their network? I'm just saying!
ReplyDeleteIt really was only a matter of time before something like this happened. With all the malware and cyber attacks that occur on a daily basis, I honestly am surprised that it took this long for it to happen.
ReplyDeleteAmazing story it true all that a virus need is a host carrier to spread. The kind of technology used to clear this virus must be massive.
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