Group Warns of Computer Security Flaw

Much of the Internet’s network devices--from desktop computers to traffic management systems-- have a security flaw that could allow hackers to shut them down or gain control of the devices, a government-funded research group warned.

The problem is most serious for Internet service providers, which use systems called routers to manage the flow of messages across computer networks and the Internet, the group said.

The CERT Coordination Center, based at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, planned to release an alert. CERT’s Web site, www.cert.org, lists the steps businesses and consumers should take to protect themselves.