The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States has launched a criminal inquiry into the source of a new computer virus that attacked systems all over the world, said BBC.online Friday.
US government agencies including the State Department, the CIA and the Defence Department said their computer systems were hit by the virus but that top-security material was not affected.
The virus, which first surfaced in the Far East, has been called the Love Bug, as it is contained in innocent-looking electronic-mail messages entitled 'I love you'.
The virus was activated when computer-users opened the file, prompting their machine to send the infected file to every contact in their address list.
THE "LOVE BUG": TEMPTING TO OPEN
This created a huge volume of electronic mail that overwhelmed computer systems.
Copycat viruses able to elude anti-virus software designed to block "I love you" messages are reported to have followed within hours.
Some users reported receiving the same e-mail, but one that substituted "I love you" wording with "very funny joke".
Experts say more are likely to follow.
BUG SPREAD FROM PHILIPPINE E-MAIL ADDRESSES
The Bug computer virus creating havoc on computer systems worldwide was first spread through two e-mail addresses in the Philippines, the Internet services provider which was used said on Friday.
“What happened is the author of the virus used two e-mail addresses through Supernet, spyder+super.net.ph and mailme+super.net.ph,” Jose Carlotta, chief operating officer of Access Net Inc, a Manila Internet company, told Reuters.
Access Net is the owner of Supernet, a prepaid Internet services provider.
“So far what we've done is we have disabled the two e-mail addresses and we've disabled the ability to create new e-mail addresses until this situation is resolved,” Carlotta said.
But because the service is prepaid, there was no way to trace who owned the accounts, he added. Also, a hacker based anywhere in the world could have used these two e-mail accounts, he said.
“There's no proof it came from the Philippines,” Carlotta said, adding that the company had not yet been contacted by the government.
“We're cooperating with everybody who requires our cooperation, we're practising all the required procedures in cases like this,” he said.
“The best we can do is advise our users to be cautious about opening attachments if they do...not just from us but any service provider.”
TACKLING THE VIRUS
If the email appears in your inbox:
Do not open it
Delete it using shift del
As with all e-mails, if in doubt do not run any attachments you are not expecting.
If you have run the attachment, log out of your machine, switch it off and phone your help desk or seek expert advice
The internet service provider Sky Internet Inc. in the Philippines are reported by ZDNet News to be hunting for the author who signed the virus code "Spyder, Manila, Philippines" and added the comment: "I hate go to school."
Analysts estimate hundreds of millions of dollars of damage has been caused in the US, the most computer-dependent country in the world.
Computer security firm, Trend Micro, estimated at 1915GMT on Thursday that some 1.27 million computer files were infected worldwide, with nearly 1million in the US.
The State Department was forced to disconnect its computer systems from the internet, according to a spokesman.
US companies were likewise forced to take their e-mail systems off-line to isolate the spread of the virus and it was blamed for shutting down the web site, the state lottery in Florida.
It spread at great speed. One DJ in Texas received the e-mail virus 1,500 times.
Europe was also hard hit on Thursday, with the UK House of Commons, the Danish parliament and the Swiss federal government computer networks, along with many banks and other companies among the victims.
About 10% of businesses around the UK are believed to have been affected.
In Asia, Dow Jones Newswires and the Asian Wall Street Journal were among the victims.
Delete
Computer experts advise people using Microsoft Outlook who receive the e-mail not to open it, but to shift-delete it immediately.
If the message is opened, users should on no account open the attachment that comes with it – (Several Sources)
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