J.Holley@MASSEY.AC.NZ (08/14/89)
[Ed. This is from RISKS...] Quoted from The Dominion, Monday August 14 : A computer virus call marijuana has wreaked havoc in the Australian Defence Department and New Zealand is getting the blame. Data in a sensitive security area in Canberra was destroyed and when officers tried to use their terminals a message appeared : "Your PC is stoned - Legalise marijuana". Viruses are [guff on viruses] The New Zealand spawned marijunana has managed to spread itself widely throughout the region. Its presence in Australia has been known for the past two months. The problem was highlighted two weeks ago when a Mellbourne man was charged with computer trespass and attempted criminal damage for allegedly loading it into a computer at the Swinbourne Institute of Technology. The virus invaded the Defence Department earlier this month - hitting a security division repsonsible for the prevention of computer viruses. A director in the information systems division, Geoff Walker said an investigation was under way and the infection was possibly an embarrassing accident arising from virus prevention activities. New personal computers installed in the section gobbled data from their hard disk, then disabled them. Initially it was believed the virus was intoduced by a subcontractor installing the new computer system but that possibility has been ruled out. One more outlandish theory suggested New Zealnd, piqued at its exclusion from Kangaroo 89 military exercises under way in northern Australia, was showing its ability to infiltrate the Canberra citadel. New Zealand was not invited to take part in Kangaroo because of United States' policy of not taking part in exercises with New Zealand forces since Labour's antinuclear legislation. However, New Zealand observers were invited. New Zealand Defence Department spokesmand Lieutenant Colonel Peter Fry categorically denied the claim. "It would be totally irresponsible to do this kind of thing." In fact, New Zealand's Defence Department already had problems with the virus, he said.