Link: 'Love Bug' Computer Virus Sweeps World

By Derek Caney

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A computer virus dubbed the ``Love Bug'' wreaked havoc on computer systems worldwide on Thursday, shutting down e-mail systems at major companies and penetrating the Pentagon, the Central Intelligence Agency and Britain's Parliament.

The ``Love Bug'' is being called the fastest-spreading computer virus, affecting hundreds of thousands of computers around the world at brokerages, food companies, media, auto giants and technology firms, universities and even medical institutions.

The virus drew comparisons with last year's Melissa virus, which spread through computer systems in the United States. Also on Thursday, 15-year-old hacker ``Mafiaboy'' was arrested for his alleged role in sabotaging the CNN.com (NYSE:TWX - news) Web site in February.

At time, some of the best known Web sites, such as Amazon.com (NasdaqNM:AMZN - news) and Yahoo! Inc. (NasdaqNM:YHOO - news), were sabotaged and their services crippled for a short period of time.

Mikko Hypponen, manager of anti-virus research at computer security firm F-Secure Corp.'s testing facilities in Helsinki, Finland, said the virus had affected hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide and could become the most widespread virus attack ever.

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