Newswires

Experts in the United States have warned that computer hackers hoping to hide behind the frenzy surrounding the "year 2000 bug" are planning to unleash a slew of new computer viruses to break into systems unnoticed. US companies and government bodies have spent billions preparing their computers for the year 2000, which could cause problems in older systems that read only the last two digits of the year - making some read 2000 as 1900.
Because most people are expected to be focusing on the effects of the millennium bug, hackers could be setting up large viruses, experts warn. It is the perfect opportunity, with all eyes on the Y2K problem, to throw an uppercut at the industry. Specialists from the Computer Emergency Response Team at Carnegie Mellon Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, said that it would be difficult to pinpoint the causes of computer breakdowns.