Newport-Mesa generally unaffected by Internet worm

Lolita Harper

NEWPORT-MESA -- When it comes to computer hackers, it takes one to

know one.

With reports that the “Code Red” worm is hitting many Web sites in the

region, Internet experts say it is important to have a security team that

is well-versed in the art of hacking to better protect the site.

“It’s like banks that hire criminals to rob them so they can see where

they need improvements in security,” said Kenneth Halbeck of the Assn. of

Internet Professionals. “The same thing goes with computers. You should

have an Internet security company that tries to hack into your Web site

so you can know where it is vulnerable.”

Newport Beach Area Chamber of Commerce officials said they have been

hit by more than 50 worms in the past two weeks but have been virtually

unaffected, thanks to high-quality security. Other effects of the worm

have gone unreported in the Newport-Mesa region.

Despite the attention that “Code Red” has received, the worm is more

of an inconvenience than a real threat, Halbeck said. Once hit by the

virus, the worm posts a plain text message that informs the site owners

that they have been hacked, Halbeck said. It will not disable the site,

but it is a nuisance to have to restore the sites, Halbeck said.

“Code Red” is a worm that scans the Internet looking for

vulnerabilities in Web servers that it can exploit, Halbeck said. In this

case, the worm has attacked Web servers running Microsoft Index Server,

which is a component of the Internet Information Server, experts said.

Once it finds a weak link, it attacks the Web site and defaces the

server, he said.

Halbeck compared the virus to an accountant trying to find holes in

tax law to save a customer money. In the case of the worm, however, the

hacker is looking for a loophole for destruction.

WORMS VS. VIRUSES

Worms differ from viruses because they search for Web sites to crash.

Viruses must be delivered to affect a system, said Kenneth Halbeck of the

Assn. of Internet Professionals. Viruses are generally transferred by

e-mail or on contaminated disks.