*EPF205 07/24/01
Defense Department Report, July 24: Computer virus, Exercises
(Defenselink site blocked to public; Training in Mozambique) (690)
COMPUTER 'WORM' FORCES DOD TO BLOCK LINK TO PUBLIC
The computer "worm" that first came to light late last week has forced the Defense Department (DOD) to shut down all public access to its websites. Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral Craig Quigley said the Department has taken "what we think are prudent precautionary measures to take down the publicly-accessible websites, of which there are many hundreds, probably thousands, within DOD around the world."
He said the "worm," or virus, works in two ways. "It does harm to both the servers that it affects directly, and then it sends out threads ... to infect up to possibly a hundred other sites. So you do damage not only to the server that was directly attacked, but you could inadvertently be the source of an attack against 100 further servers."
He said a "patch" has been installed and is being monitored by the Joint Task Force for Computer Operations, who are also monitoring all network activity. "When they feel we are properly defended by the installation of the patches throughout our networks around the world, as well as the level of activity on the web is such that it's the prudent thing to do ... (we will) bring those sites back up."
The worm has not harmed any tactical military operations around the world, he said, adding that "none of our classified systems were affected. But it is inconvenient. There are still many functions that are performed -- business, information-sharing, a variety of exercise sites around the world that are not classified, that are usable by both military members (and the public)."
The defenselink.mil web address, accessed by U.S. government and military computers, is unaffected, "but if it's a dot-com or dot-edu, it is a separate pipe that brings you into defenselink, and that pipe has been stopped for now," Quigley said, adding that the threat level has been advanced to "alpha" from normal.
MOZAMBIQUE IS SITE OF JULY 24-AUGUST 3 MED FLAG EXERCISE
Service members from U.S. Air Forces in Europe, U.S. Army in Europe, and U.S. Special Operations Command will participate in Exercise Med Flag 01-2 July 24-August 3, he said.
"This year's Med Flag is led by the headquarters of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and will be held in Nampula and Maputo, Mozambique," Quigley said. He noted that "Med Flag is a multi-service, multi-country medical training and civic assistance exercise conducted annually by the U.S. European Command."
In previous years military medical teams have turned villages in Cameroon and other countries of West Africa into working health care centers and provided thousands of residents with immunizations and primary optometric and dental care.
NAVY SEAL MEDIC SAVES LIFE OF APPENDICITIS VICTIM
In a heartwarming story of survival and bravery, the DOD spokesman told reporters about the rescue by a Navy Seal medic of a crewmember on a merchant ship, due to dock in Hawaii July 25, who suffered an attack of acute appendicitis. The Seal parachuted out of a C-130 to the merchant vessel, stabilized the sick man, Quigley said, "and took a helicopter (and) medevaced him from the merchant vessel to the Cruiser Lake Erie. When Lake Erie got within (helicopter) range of Hawaii, a Coast Guard (helicopter) took the Navy corpsman and the affected crew member to the hospital in Hawaii" where he is listed in "stable but guarded condition."
"The medic, in all likelihood, saved his life," the spokesman said.
Asked if this was routine for Special Operations Forces, Quigley said, "we train our Special Operations Forces to do a variety of things that you would consider out of the norm of military skills. This is something they train to do. And it sure is nice to have that skill. That's one crew member who's alive today because they practiced that skill."
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov/)
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