The new strain of the Code Red virus, dubbed Code Red II, has infected a number of Web servers belonging to the Hong Kong government, officials announced this morning.
A spokesman for the Information Technology Services Department said a number of internal government servers had been infected with the computer worm.
He said immediate action had been taken to remove the worm and restore services.
The Code Red II is a more malicious spin-off of the comparatively innocuous Code Red computer bug launched earlier this month.
The worm makes it easier for outsiders to steal sensitive Internet data such as credit card details and company secrets as it weakens the computer's existing security.
The bugs exploit vulnerabilities in servers using the Microsoft Windows NT and Windows 2000 operating systems. Personal computers are said not to be at risk.
AFP