Protect Your Computer From Code Red

— -- The Code Red worm has infected tens of thousands of computers worldwide. Here are some basic facts computer users should know about it:

Will my computer be affected by Code Red?

The only computers that could be affected by the Code Red worm are those using Microsoft's Windows 2000, Windows NT or versions 4.0 or 5.0 of Microsoft's IIS server software. If your computer's operating system is Microsoft's Windows Me, Windows 98, Windows 95 or Windows 3.1, or if you use an Apple computer, you should not be affected by the worm.

What should I do if my computer is at risk?Microsoft has made available a "patch" that is intended to protect computers against "Code Red." It can be downloaded from the home page of the Microsoft Web site (www.microsoft.com ).

Will Code Red damage my computer?Probably not. The worm is "memory-resident," meaning it does not exist in the hard drive or in permanent storage of computers. Re-booting your computer should wipe out the infection — although it won't make your computer permanently safe from the Code Red worm, either. For that you'll need the software patch.

What's the difference between a worm and a virus?According to Marty Lindner, team leader for incidence handling at the CERT Coordination Center, a computer security group at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, "A worm is a self-propagating program. In the case of [a virus] you need human intervention for it to spread." Many well-known viruses, like last year's "I Love You" virus, depend on users opening e-mail attachments to be spread. The Code Red worm is pre-programmed to take advantage of security flaws in a few Microsoft programs.