FEB 7, 2000 - CERT Coordination Center (aka CERT/CC) is a resource without which no one should be online. Originally known as the Computer Emergency Response Team, CERT sprang to life in 1988 following the Morris Worm incident. (Which, you will recall, nearly crashed the Internet.) That's when the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contracted Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute (SEI) to set up a center to coordinate communication among experts should similar emergencies arise - and to prevent them arising in the first place, as much as possible. For most of us, the CERT Coordination Center may be the handiest touchstone around for all those virus rumors that come in from well-meaning friends, clients and colleagues. You know the kind I mean: "Beware the XYZ virus, it'll erase your hard drive, discharge your car battery, make you impotent" . . . whatever. Next time you get one of those well-meaning missals, check with CERT/CC before you freak out. They have all the latest on viruses, Trojans, worms etc. Or save yourself a trip: get automatic free real time updates from CERT by email, if you wish.
Technical note: Web Site Garage rates CERT Coordination Center excellent over-all and in load time (4.83 seconds with a 28.8k modem). In comparison, the page you're now reading rates good in both categories, with a load time of 11.58 seconds at 28.8k.
