A "worm type" virus was found on laptop computers that astronauts use to send and receive email from the station by relaying messages through a mission control center in Texas, according to NASA spokesman Kelly Humphries.<\/p>\n
The virus is reported to be malicious software that logs keystrokes in order to steal passwords or other sensitive data by sending the information to hackers via the Internet.<\/p>\n
The laptop computers are not linked to any of the space station’s control systems or the Internet.<\/p>\n
"The bottom line is it is a nuisance for us," Humphries said. "The crew is working with teams on the ground to eradicate the virus and look for actions to prevent that from happening in the future."<\/p>\n
The virus had no adverse effect on space station operations, according to Humphries.<\/p>\n
The space station orbits Earth once every 90 minutes at an altitude of about 350 kilometers (217 miles).<\/p>\n
NASA is reportedly looking into whether the virus got into the computers by hiding in a memory drive used to store music, video or other digital files.<\/p>\n
Humphries said this is not the first computer virus stowaway on the Space Station.<\/p>\n
"This is not a frequent occurrence but it has happened before," Humphries said.<\/p>\n