The Code Red II computer bug may have hit a Japanese central government website for the first time, an official said today.
The education and science ministry shut down a computer server used to access government documents at noon (4 a.m. Irish time) yesterday after fears it may have been hit by the fastspreading computer worm.
"We are still in the process of investigating the extent of damage done to the server itself," Kazunori Shingai, the ministry's information system specialist, said. "We cannot tell when we can reopen the system."
It appeared to be the first time a Japanese central government computer site had been infected by Code Red II, which was first identified earlier this month.
Code Red II is spread via the Internet and affects only Microsoft Corp's Windows 2000 operating system. The worm makes it easier for outsiders to steal information such as company secrets and credit card details.
"We have already received corrective programme patches against Code Red or Code Red II from Microsoft and installed them in our systems," Mr Shingai said. "So the virus could be something other than Code Red II or its new strain."
Ministry officials found the information server had been partially rewritten to enable outsiders to control it illegally.
There were fears the worm had tampered with ministry data or gained unauthorised access to other computer servers from the affected system.
The affected site allows the public to check whether government documents are available for release under information disclosure laws.
Several thousand servers in Japan may have been infected by the computer bug, according to the government.
The National Police Agency said last week that at least 200 computer systems in Japan, including police servers, were believed to have been infected by Code Red II
AFP