Qwest, Cisco develop Code Red patch

Qwest is making available to its customers a patch, jointly developed by Cisco Systems, which the carrier says offers a long-term solution to the Code Red virus that has plagued some of its customers. The patch is downloadable free of charge from Qwest’s Web site.

Only digital subscriber line customers using Cisco 675 or 678 modems need to download the patch. However, the company stressed that customers who downloaded a previously available interim solution must also install the long-term solution if they want to achieve maximum protection against the virus. Qwest is contacting affected customers by telephone, personal letter and e-mail, according to the company.

A Qwest spokesman reiterated the company’s position that it would provide no credit to affected customers, because the Qwest network never went down, the virus originated form sources outside the company’s control and it attacked equipment that was not manufactured by the carrier. “We don’t feel obligated to provide compensation for what is essentially a criminal act,” he said.

The spokesman acknowledged some customers had to wait hours before being able to speak with a Qwest technical representative, but stressed the company acted as quickly as possible given the circumstances.

“There’s no way we could have anticipated what was going to happen. But once we saw the call volume, we redeployed resources and had a thousand tech reps on hand to help customers apply the interim solution,” he said.

—Glenn Bischoff, senior writer