More Computer Systems Open To Attacks Some Security Specialists Say Today's networked world brings "Slammer' threats to firms, then consumers.(A)

Byline: DONNA HOWELL

Bull's-eye. Now what?

Some new threat trend forecasts are already on target. They said we'd see a problem like Slammer.

The worm, similar to a computer virus, dented Internet use as much as 25% on Jan. 25. It hit servers that lacked a software security patch that had been available for months.

What other bugs and viruses might be on tap in 2003? Two new studies by large tech security firms say users must pay much attention to vulnerabilities. Leaving computer systems' security holes unpatched could lead to deep misery.

On Monday, security firm Symantec Corp. released an Internet threat report written before Slammer's debut.

"One of the things we've continued to see, as we saw last year, is an increase in reports of vulnerabilities," said Vincent Weafer, senior security director at the Cupertino, Calif., company. "We're averaging about 50 new vulnerabilities per week." About a year earlier, it was 20 to 25.