SEOUL - Korean Firms Hit by Chernobyl Computer Virus

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WIRE:04/26/2000 06:42:00 ET

Title: Korean Firms Hit by Chernobyl Computer Virus SEOUL (Reuters) - The so-called Chernobyl computer virus struck South Korea on Wednesday, wiping out hard disks at hundreds of companies, the Ministry of Information and Communication said on Wednesday. The ministry reported it received almost 2,000 complaints about the virus, which struck on the 14th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident in the Ukraine.

A ministry official said far worse damage was caused last year.

"In 1999, the outbreak of the virus affected up to 300,000 computers and larger companies took the brunt of the damage," said the official. "This time, it's likely to be five percent of that."

He said individuals and small companies accounted for more than 70 percent of the complaints reported on Wednesday.

He gave no estimate of the value of the damage caused by the virus erasing data on hard disk drives and corrupting communications software.

Copyright )2000 ABC News Internet Ventures. http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/reuters20000426_795.html

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