Computer Viruses: Archenemy of China's Informationization

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, August 22, 2003

Computer Viruses: Archenemy of China's Informationization

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A computer virus known as "WORM-MSBlast.A" that began spreading over the Internet since Aug 11 from US wrecked a PC havoc in Europe, South America, Oceania and SE Asia. As reported, 250,000 computers worldwide were hit by the worm up to Aug 14. From Aug 11 to 13, the worm also crashed tens of thousands of computers in China's Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan and Hangzhou with of over 4,100 enterprises and institutions of local area networks (LAN) infected, and over 2,000 LANs put to a standstill. This has greatly hindered the development of e-government and e-business, incurring great economic losses.

During the recent two years, the computer viruses have become a new scourge, effecting a frequent and ever high eruption. The worms, such as "Wantjob", "Code Red", "Nimda" and "Worm.NetKiller2003" have been spreading over the Internet, entailing serous net disasters. For example, the worm of Wantjob KLEZ-H attacked Czech in the middle of April 2002, causing great losses. It also hit China's mainland and Taiwan. On Jan. 25, 2003, a new worm named "Worm.NetKiller2003" broke out on a large scale, impacting Asia, America and Oceania and also infected numerous Internet users in China. The "WORM-MSBlast.A" this time is more harmful, causing a breakdown totaling 5,800 LANs in China up to 22:00, Aug. 14.

Facts proved that computer viruses have become a threat more serious to the informationization construction in China, the archenemy of the work. This time, the "WORM-MSBlast.A" has attacked many websites of companies and public institutions, destroying hardware and software and interrupting the online services. As introduced, some LANs of the provincial organs of Guangdong were attacked and the Network had a lower operation speed or even came to a standstill. While causing economic damages, some hacker viruses deliberately knocked down the websites of governments and enterprises, stealing and robbing the secret information and thus affecting China's information securities.

What's more serious is that computer viruses have begun to threaten China's long-term development strategy of "industrialization heralded by informationization and vice versa industrialization spurs on the informationization". Computer viruses will always go along with the advancement of computer technology. So compared with some short-term problems (such as the services of websites, information share and net communication technologies etc.) during the process of China's informationization, the impacts of viruses will sneaking into the whole course of informationization, last longer a time and more destructive than the other factors. As a developing country, China is lagged relatively behind in the aspects of research on anti-viruses core technologies, the early warning levels against viruses and the legislation of information security. Along with the rapid development of informationization, the hidden dangers and risks are becoming more serious. It is necessary to realize the importance and grimness of the troubles and adopt active and effective measures and get ready for a protracted war against viruses.

In China's informationization construction the road to take must be "a combination of information security with the development of informationization." It is emphasized at the third meeting of the leading team for national informationization. So we must prevent and defeat computer viruses. On the one hand, we must speed up the informationization construction and promote the development of relative industries and national economy and on the other, we should adopt effective measures to improve the security environment of the Internet and safeguard the security of national informationization. First of all, we must be self-confident in the fight of computer viruses. Any viruses can be deleted, and what counts is the confidence and determination in guard against and combating the viruses and finally winning the victory. Secondly, we should strengthen the technological research and the legislation for the Internet security, accelerate the research of the Internet security technologies, enhance the online protection and build up a general information safeguarding system. Thirdly, we should raise everyone's consciousness in preventing the virus and ensuring the Internet security. Fourthly, we should promote the international cooperation and communication in the field of fighting against computer viruses.

By PD Online Staff Liu Wei

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