"Sources said the government did not learn crucial details about September's Nimda worm... until the stricken companies began firing their security executives."
Do you know what this refers to? What crucial details could they possibly be talking about?
I think they're just talking about the plain knowledge that the worm existed, and how to patch their computers to block it. If you go back a couple paragraphs, you'll see the writer's talking about the problems the government is having getting the private networks interconnected with the government's computers to get around to patching their systems, leaving them very vulnerable, and thus leaving the government vulnerable, since they rely on those private companies for many vital communications.
I don't recall there being anything particularly special about the NIMDA worm itself, other than its extreme annoyance factor. But then, I use a Mac and don't have to keep up with such things. *grin*