Code Red warning restated

US Government officials and computer experts have been warning of the spread of the "Code Red" worm.

The worm has already infected hundreds of thousands of computers running Microsoft's internet server software.

Experts are calling on computer users to secure their systems by downloading a software fix.

Ron Dick, head of the FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Centre, says too many computer users regard their systems as dumb appliances, not recognising that a computer needs "to be constantly monitored and maintained. It functions like a living organism".

Officials fear newly-discovered versions of the worm could be reprogrammed to launch crippling attacks on any website.

The FBI is working with the UK, Canada and Australia to fight the worm's spread.

The worm is set to spread again this evening. Officials say the quick spread could bring sporadic but widespread internet slowdowns and variants of the worm could do more extensive damage.

Unlike a virus, which needs a person to help it spread, a worm infects other computers on its own.

Website administrators running Microsoft Windows NT and 2000 operating systems, along with the Internet Information Services software, should download Microsoft's patch from the company's website.

Home users running Windows 95, 98 or Me are not vulnerable.

Mr Dick commented, "We should consider it a civic duty to ensure that if you are running IIS software, you have patched it."