Faulty Norton update may have hit millions of computers in China: report

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2007

BEIJING (AFP) — Millions of Chinese computers may have been paralysed by a faulty anti-virus update from Symantec, the world's largest security software provider, state media reported Thursday.

An automatic update to the Chinese version of the Norton anti-virus software sent out last Friday identified two critical files of the Microsoft XP operating system as malicious codes and deleted them, the China Daily said.

Millions of computer systems collapsed as a result, with users unable to restart their computers or reinstall their operating systems, according to an earlier report by Xinhua news agency.

The China Daily said some of the company's clients, mostly corporate users, have demanded compensation ranging from 100,000 yuan (13,100 dollars) to several...