Two computer viruses may launch attacks later this week, once again
pointing to the lack of awareness of viruses among Chinese users.
The new virus warnings sound a loud alarm of the dangers faced
by millions of Chinese computer and Internet users, anti-virus
watchdogs predicted Monday.
Sending and receiving e-mails and surfing the Internet
accelerates the spread of computer viruses, Meng Bin, a researcher
with the Tianjin-based National Computer Virus Emergency Response
Center, said.
More and more, computer viruses are affecting computers in
China, and causing huge financial losses, he said.
The latest survey by the center shows that viruses affected more
than 85 percent of computers in China in 2003. Those viruses caused
losses among users of 63.5 percent of those computers, reported
China Central Television (CCTV) on its
website.
By comparison, the number of affected computers in 2002 was less
than 84 percent and about 60 percent in 2001.?
Most highly damaging computer viruses came from abroad through
Internet connections. The latest warning by the National Computer
Virus Emergency Response Center refers to two viruses that could
damage some of the most common files.
The center has forecast that two viruses -- VBS/Triplesix, which
spreads through Microsoft Outlook and mIRC, and WM/Kompu, which
affects Word files -- will attack computers on Thursday and Sunday
respectively.
Like many others, those two viruses may travel to China across
the vast expanses of the Internet, but experts have also warned
that the number of domestically created viruses has been rising
fast.
Anti-virus experts have warned computer users to hedge against
possible damages.
Meng said, however, that companies or organizations are the
biggest victims because their internal networks depend heavily on
computers and the Internet.
Meng said every computer user should install anti-virus software
and frequently update operating systems to mend possible
loopholes.
Mao Yiding, vice-general manager of the Beijing Rising Co Ltd,
an anti-virus software producer, said computer viruses have been
spreading very fast and will spread even faster in the future as
the popularity of the Internet grows.
He said anti-virus awareness among Chinese computer users needs
to be improved.
For example, many computer game players tend to play without
firewalls or virus protection because both applications slow down
their computers.
In a China News Service report, Du Yuejin, director of the
operation department under the National Computer Network Emergency
Center, called on users turn to his center or other watchdogs if
they find their computers affected by a virus to solve the problem
quicker.
(China Daily February 3, 2004)