Hong Kong computer networks have come under attack from a new variant of the mass-mailing Klez worm, which disables basic anti-virus programs. It has infected computer systems across Asia, North America and Europe.
'This virus activity is still spreading,' said Roy Ko of the Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team (HKCert) Co-ordination Centre, which tracks computer network security incidents.
He declined to give the extent of infections in the SAR but said the centre had received nine reports by late yesterday afternoon. These involved companies with a hundred or more personal computer users.
Officials from anti-virus software vendors Symantec, Sophos and Network Associates in Hong Kong and Singapore said their customers had not reported any infections.
But Mr Ko said HKCert had monitored increased infections worldwide based on the decision of some anti-virus makers, such as Trend Micro and Symantec, to classify the new Klez variant as medium risk. Other anti-virus specialists, including Sophos and Network Associates, rated the worm low risk.
Depending on the organisation tracking it, the new worm is known as Klez.K, Klez.I, Klez.H or Klez.G. It is a variant of the three-month-old Klez.F worm, one of the fastest-spreading viruses reported in February and a variant of the original Klez worm first spotted in October last year.
Charles Cousins of Sophos and Abby Tang of Network Associates said the new Klez variant showed an emerging trend for virus authors to write new and improved versions of an existing malicious program, much like making a movie with multiple sequels. One unknown virus author last year wrote 30 different variants of a single malicious program.