Computer Virus Strikes U.S. Marshals, FBI

Law Enforcement Agencies Hit, But Claim No Data Was Compromised

(AP)  Law enforcement computers were struck by a mystery computer virus Thursday, forcing the FBI and the U.S. Marshals to shut down part of their networks as a precaution.

The U.S. Marshals confirmed it disconnected from the Justice Department's computers as a protective measure after being hit by the virus; an FBI official said only that that agency was experiencing similar issues and was working on the problem.

"We too are evaluating a network issue on our external, unclassified network that's affecting several government agencies," said FBI spokesman Mike Kortan. He did not elaborate or identify the other agencies.

Marshals spokeswoman Nikki Credic said the agency's computer problem began Thursday morning. The FBI began experiencing similar problems earlier.

"At no time was data compromised," said Credic. The type of virus and its origin were not determined.

In addition to their external networks, most federal law enforcement agencies have an internal-only network to prevent cyber-snoopers from sensitive data.

In Thursday's incident, the Marshals Service shut down its Internet access and some e-mail while staff worked on the problem. The FBI made similar moves to protect its system.

[zunipus]

E Elder sez: "There have been a few Mac virus' but since they aren't big time in the business world, the virus hackers just don't bother. Give them time, you Mac folks, your turn is coming..."

Incorrect.

There are currently 11 malware for Mac OS X. All of them are Trojan horses, requiring user error in order to be installed. There is no such thing as a virus for Mac OS X, or a worm, or illegal spyware.

The scary, OMG run for your life nonsense " you Mac folks, your turn is coming..." has been standard issue FUD since August 2005 when Symantec started the current anti-Mac security FUD campaign. That's 3 and a half years ago. Oops. No horror befell Mac OS X. Sorry to disappoint all you hate wishers.

Mac OS X security is far from perfect. And yet it is consistently proven to be one of the top 3 most secure operating systems in the world. The other two are OpenBSD and FreeBSD. It is no coincidence that elements of both these other operating systems are built into the foundation of Mac OS X.

If you want to throw knives at Apple security failures, your best target is QuickTime. Apple develop it for both Windows and Mac OS X. It has had a consistently high number of security patches since 2007 and has been implicated in a number of hacking incidents.

[zunipus]

bmike71-2009 sez: "All the time I have had a PC (I am using a Mac now) I never had a single virus, not one. But then, I did use good anti-virus software and kept it up to date."

Sadly, these days there are several new malware every day and many of them are specifically targeted, by Red China among others, to specifically crack into world government computers. There is no way any anti-malware program can keep up with this flood. Before the malware definitions are updated, a new variant is already in the wild continuing the attack. Wipe out last week's infection but have no idea about today's infection.

For home computers the flood of new malware is typically not a a mission critical disaster. On government computers it is a guaranteed disaster.

The ONLY solution is to move to one of the secure operating systems and NEVER use Windows. Consider Windows in and of itself a security breach.

[zunipus]

Another DECADE Later,
Same Question:

Why Does The US Federal Government Use Windows?

The era of brain-dead government continues apace. Red China is laughing hysterically. We've been pwned again. And again. And again. And again...

[E Elder]

I moved over to Ubuntu Version 9 and will never return to Windows. You can download ClamAV for free to provide AV and malware protection. There is even a front end for ClamAV that bypasses the command line. Ubuntu includes OpenOffice which is equivalent to MS Office. There are several firewall front ends that use the iptables firewall that is built into Linux.

Windows 7 uses XP Mode emulator to run older XP Pro applications. This feature in no available on the Home version of Windows 7 and it also doesn't work with a lot of Intel and AMD CPUS. There is no upgrade path from XP Pro to Windows 7.

Try Linux first before you make an expensive plunge into Windows 7. You will certainly have to upgrade many of your applications.

[PasadenaDave]

Goes to show how vulnerable good OLD Window is. Maybe Windows 8 will be unix based and better protected (naaah!)?

There have been a few Mac virus' but since they aren't big time in the business world, the virus hackers just don't bother. Give them time, you Mac folks, your turn is coming...

[bmike71-2009]

Keep laughing, we'll get to you.

[Slrman]

LMAO! These are the people that claim they can "protect" us and they can't even protect their own computers. All the time I have had a PC (I am using a Mac now) I never had a single virus, not one. But then, I did use good anti-virus software and kept it up to date.

Maybe these clowns need to check what sites their own people have been logging onto. Some are known to be more risky than others. ;) They might also consider asking some 13 y/o about virus protection.