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New virus hits govt websites

23/07/2008

A new form of virus known as Asprox has compromised several government websites, putting at risk the personal details of thousands of people who used the sites.

The infected websites include those run by Norfolk NHS and 12 local councils.

Security experts believe the virus has spread to two million computers worldwide after striking US corporate websites such as Sony Playstation and Snapple.

The infection only became obvious after people discovered money had been removed from their bank account.

The NHS and local council websites are only a handful of dozen which are believed to be infected. Eastern European hackers are suspected of implementing the infections.

Most viruses penetrate computers through email or unregulated websites, but the Asprox virus has the worrying quality of appearing on mainstream sites. It then installs itself on a user's computer, allowing the hacker access to files, emails, passwords and, of course, bank information.

A spokesperson for Hackney council told politics.co.uk that contrary to some media reports, it was still unclear whether as virus which struck the council's website over the weekend was in fact Asprox.

The spokesperson admitted to not knowing how many people may have been affected, partly because people do not always inform the website they believe they contracted the virus from and partly because of the nature of the virus itself.