Code Red: World braces itself for onslaught

The anticipated 1 August internet meltdown has so far yet to materialise as the world braces itself for a rash of Code Red worm attacks today.

Early signs are that the impact of the much-feared worm has been limited. However, it's still too early to tell what havoc the code may wreak once the business day dawns around the world.

Microsoft said late last night that over one million patches for the Code Red worm have been downloaded, bringing hope that Windows NT and 2000 users heeded warnings from the Seattle giant and the US government.

Even before the clocks rolled over to midnight GMT on 1 August - the date the self-propagating worm kicks-in - Code Red is estimated to have cost businesses $1.2bn in lost productivity, clean-up, monitoring and checking systems.

It's already believed to be present on 395,000 servers, according to research figures from California-based metrics firm Computer Economics. A further six million are at risk.

The worm was first discovered in mid July and is programmed to continue infecting computers until 20 August. Experts fear that once Code Red starts propagating in earnest, it could rapidly bring the internet to a grinding halt.

We'll have more Code Red news throughout the day...

For related news, see:
Code Red: Microsoft and US gov