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Words
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INTRO
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The
Chernobyl computer virus wiped the memories of hundreds of thousands
of computers worldwide. Chris
Nuttall, the BBC’s Internet Correspondent, reported. |
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IN
FULL
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Listen
to the report in full |
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29th April 1999
Chernobyl Computer
Virus
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1 |
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The
Chernobyl virus was discovered last June, but despite warnings
about its deadly effects from anti-virus software companies since
then, it still appears to have wreaked havoc in certain parts
of the world. In the West, companies protected their computers with
anti-virus programmes which killed it off, but in Asia and the Middle
East the same precautions have been ignored in many cases. Chernobyl
also spreads through pirated software, which is rife
in these parts of the world.
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WORDS
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virus: a virus
is usually a living organism, smaller even than bacteria, which
causes an infectious disease in a body or plant. A computer virus
is a malicious computer programme which damages computer systems.
to wreak havoc:
to cause chaos and disorder
pirated software:
computer software or programmes which has been copied without permission
is rife: if something
is rife, it is very common. If a disease is rife somewhere it is
very common or even out of control.
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| NEWS
2 |
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The media in China reported
as many as a hundred thousand computers affected. South Korean officials
estimated two hundred and fifty thousand were hit, and, in India,
at least ten thousand PCs crashed, including ones run by
major industries and financial institutions. In the Middle East,
Israeli data recovery experts said there’d been a catastrophe,
with thousands of computers affected. Egyptian firms sent workers
home as their systems were paralysed: and there were reports
of thousands of computers losing vital information right across
the Gulf. Chernobyl has not been propogated to the same extent
as the recent Melissa virus, which jammed networks with e-mail,
but it has caused far greater damage.
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crash: if a computer
crashes it suddenly fails
data recovery experts:
computer experts who can retrieve information which appears to be
lost
paralysed: here,
would not work, stopped
to propagate :
to increase in number by reproducing or spreading. We say that plants
propagate by seed
jammed : filled
completely so everything stopped
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Read
about the creator of the virus in BBC News Online |
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