Publicly disclosed information for this event

The US Navy, with computers stationed at locations including Point Loma, California; Charleston, South Carolina; and Norfolk, Virginia, was reportedly affected by a widespread cyberattack targeting systems running the Microsoft Windows NT and Windows 95 operating systems. This "denial of service" event was part of a larger assault that impacted numerous entities throughout the US.

Computers potentially experienced system crashes between 8:30 and 10 p.m. on Monday, March 2nd. These crashes might have manifested as either error messages or blank screens. Multiple users could have interpreted these interruptions as standard system hiccups or potential power glitches. The alleged attack, described as a variant of the "teardrop" technique, involved sending distorted data packets to targeted machines. Trying to decipher these misleading packets, the computers might have been led to use up excessive memory, ultimately causing system failures. This modified version of the attack seemed to facilitate targeting a vast array of computers simultaneously.

While the exact fallout from the attack on the Navy's operations at the aforementioned locations remains speculative, the cyber incident could have presented significant disruptions. The events were likely seen in a serious light, potentially wasting precious time and hampering Navy personnel in their tasks.