Unlike other botnets, Storm has no single command-and-control point--it functions as a peer-to-peer system where any hijacked computer can give and receivecommands.
Without a crew, however, the antennae would quickly lose lock with Mission Control, and the ISS computers would not receivecommands from the flight controllers.
The innovation announced today takes advantage of the machine-to-machine capability and expands it to other devices on the network that can receive IP based commands.