TOKYO: A computer virus featuring the cuddly Japanese cartoon character
Pikachu has been found in computers in the United States, leaving some operating
systems devastated, an anti-virus software firm said on Thursday.
An official at Japan's Trend Micro said the virus was first detected in the
United States late last month and had been nicknamed "Pokey" by US
experts.
The Pokey virus works like the notorious "Love Bug" virus that
caused billions of dollars in damage worldwide earlier this year, but the Trend
Micro official said it did not appear to be as devastating.
"Luckily, it seems to be rather slow-moving and hasn't spread very
far," he said, adding that the virus had yet to appear in Japan.
Officials at Nintendo Co., the video game company that owns the copyright to
the wildly popular Pokemon characters, of which the cuddly, yellow Pikachu is
one, were unavailable for comment.
The virus strikes when users open an attachment to an e-mail, sending it into
their computer and in some cases making it unusable. It simultaneously sends
e-mails to everyone in the user's address book, giving it the potential to
spread quickly.
When users open an attachment, an image of a pensive Pikachu appears on the
screen with the ungrammatical message: "Between millions of people around
the world I found you. Don't forget to remember this day every time MY
FRIEND."
The virus initially appears as an e-mail with the title "Pikachu Pokemon"
and the English message "Pikachu is your friend".
The Trend Micro official advised anyone receiving the mail to delete the file
without opening it.
Earlier this year, the Love Bug virus infected computers around the world,
including in the Pentagon, Britain's Parliament, and major companies. It was
eventually traced to the Philippines, where a computer school drop-out is
suspected of being responsible.
(C) Reuters Limited 2000.