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Follow UsBen Berkowitz
LOS ANGELES: Some video game players got a nasty surprise this week when they
downloaded software from a popular online gaming site -- the Nimda computer
virus.
The installer for GameSpy Arcade 1.09, the main file exchange and gaming
software of GameSpy.com, available from sites like CNET Networks Inc.'s
Download.com service, was infected with the Nimda virus twice this week, GameSpy
chief executive Mark Surfas told Reuters.
Surfas said the virus infected one of their download servers for two hours on
Tuesday and five hours Wednesday night, while they were performing routine
service. "We were doing some maintenance and we let our guard down,"
he said, adding that the company, which provides thousands of downloads every
day, has never had a similar incident.
"This registers with us as a serious, serious error," he said.
"We're pretty upset about it. This is not cool." Surfas said a total
of 3,100 infected files were served, and the company is in the process of
notifying everyone who got an infected file and pointing them to free anti-virus
tools that will disinfect their systems.
He also said the company has not received any reports of user suffering any
damage from contracting the virus.
GameSpy.com is operated by GameSpy Industries of Irvine, California, which is
best-known among gamers for providing the back-end infrastructure, like software
and servers, to power popular online games like "Soldier of Fortune"
and "Medal of Honor."
Two weeks ago, Microsoft Corp. revealed that the Korean-language version of
its software for development of online services was also infected with the Nimda
virus, though the company said the virus was dormant and in no danger of
infecting anyone's computer.
Nimda, which first struck in September of last year, is estimated to have
cost up to $500 million as corporations cleaned up their networks. Most
anti-virus software programs have had the ability to detect and eliminate Nimda
since the outbreak.
(C) Reuters Limited.