BEIJING, Aug. 28, (Xinhuanet) -- NASA has confirmed that astronauts unwittingly brought laptops aboard the International Space Station (ISS) that were infected with virus, according to Space.com reports Thursday.

    The malware (malicious software), detected on July 25, was stopped with virus protection software and posed no threat to ISS systems or operations, said NASA spokesman Kelly Humphries on the Web site. "It was never a threat to any command-and-control or operations computer."

    "This is not the first time we have had a worm or a virus," Humphries said. "It's not a frequent occurrence, but this isn't the first time."

    The one-year-old Windows worm, known as "W32.Gammima.AG" identified by the space news site SpaceRef.com, was designed to steal logon information from online gamers. It also could plant a root kit on the infected system and transmits hijacked data to a remote server.

    But Humphries said he could not disclose further details about how the virus was brought to the ISS.

    "We'll do our best to track down how it got there and close that gateway," Humphries said. "This is not a frequent occurrence but we have had viruses that have made their way on board before."

    NASA is currently reviewing the incident and may make procedural recommendations based on its findings, SpaceRef.com reported, suggesting that a flash card or USB drive brought on board by an astronaut may have been the source of the laptop infection.

    According to Space.com, the ISS is currently home to three astronauts: Russian cosmonaut commander Sergei Volkov, cosmonaut flight engineer Oleg Kononenko and NASA flight engineer Greg Chamitoff.

    Volkov and Kononenko are due to return to Earth in October, added Space.com, while Chamitoff won't be back until his replacement arrives.

    (Agencies)