911 Computer Virus Warning

Computers in the Houston area may be threatened by a virus that erases hard drives and makes bogus 911 calls, according to the FBI.

Investigators with the National Infrastructure Protection Center, a multi-agency task force charged with investigating cyber-related crime in the United States and abroad, said it is looking for evidence of the virus in other cities.

“Whenever this type of activity occurs over the Internet, all possibilities of nationwide effects are looked into,” Debbie Weierman, an FBI spokeswoman, said Tuesday.

According to NIPC, the virus spreads by attacking computers with Windows operating systems set up to allow users to share files over the Internet.

Emergency call centers were first warned of the virus Monday morning, said Sonya Lopez, spokeswoman for the Greater Harris County 911 Network. Only one bogus call has been received, she said.

Weierman said the NIPC's investigation is continuing and is looking at the “scope of the damage and what effects this particular virus has possibly caused.”