Sci/Tech
Chernobyl virus causes Asian meltdown
Like its namesake, the Chernobyl virus has caused global alarm
By Internet Correspondent Chris Nuttall
Hundreds of thousands of computers in Asia and the Middle East have had their
data wiped by a malicious program known as the Chernobyl virus.
It was timed to strike on Monday, the 13th anniversary of the nuclear reactor
disaster, and computer network managers in the regions have since been
counting the cost.
While Chernobyl, a variant of the CIH macro virus, had a damaging impact in
some parts of the world, the US and Europe seem to have largely escaped its
effects.
Chernobyl around since June
CIH was discovered as long ago as last June in Taiwan. But despite warnings
about its deadly effects from anti-virus software companies since then, it
still appears to have wreaked havoc in certain countries.
In the West, companies had protected their computers with anti-virus programs
that killed it, but in Asia and the Middle East the same precautions had been
ignored in many cases.
news.bbc.co.uk
Chernobyl also spreads through pirated software, which is rife in these parts
of the world. The virus deletes all information stored on computers and can
even wipe out the BIOS - the basic instructions that tell the computer to
start.
Asian countries worst-hit
Countries in Asia appear to have been affected the worst by the virus:
China: The state-run media reported that more than 100,000 computers had been
affected across China.
South Korea: Government officials apologised for not taking more urgent action
and estimated that 250,000 PCs were attacked and $250m in damage had been
caused.
India: More than 30,000 computers had crashed, said experts and officials.
Major industries, banks and other financial institutions had been badly hit.
Middle East suffers 'catastrophe'
Middle East and Gulf countries were also badly hit:
Israel: Israeli data recovery experts said there had been a catastrophe with
thousands of computers affected, including those of a major financial
institution, an intelligence organisation and a large Internet Service
Provider.
Egypt: Companies in Cairo sent workers home as their systems were paralysed by
the virus. "It's a disaster," said one civil engineering firm.
The Gulf: Industry in the United Arab Emirates estimated that 5-10% of
computers had been affected, while there were reports from Qatar of the
infection reaching "epidemic" proportions.
Turkey: Banks, police departments, an army school, state television and
government offices were hit.
Chernobyl has not been propagated to the same extent as the recent Melissa
virus, which jammed networks with e-mail, but it has caused far greater damage |
