Code Red: New variant detected

NEWS A variant on the Code Red worm was detected at the weekend, but fears of a devastating outbreak were allayed by claims that anyone who patched their servers for the first version will still be safe. According to the Systems, Administration, Networking and Security Institute (SANS), those without patches are at risk, as the variant leaves a 'back-door' in infected machines, which makes it relatively easy for hackers to gain access to systems. The SANS Institute claims the variant started circulating on Saturday. It added that the total number machines now infected by Code Red worldwide has reached between 150,000 and 175,000.