‘Funlove’ Affects Trading of Brokerage Firms

Three brokerage firms in Kuala Lumpur experienced a share-trading problem on Monday May 21, 2007. The cause was attributed to some worn out operating systems that had the "Funlove" virus infection, according to bursa Malaysia. Business Times published this on May 23, 2007.

Business Times reported that OSK Securities, Asseam Bankers, and TA Securities suffered a share-trading glitch on May 21, 2007. The glitch arose from computer impairments, which according to some originated from the trading system of the stock exchange.

A spokesperson of Bursa Malaysia said the stock exchange was informed about the glitch at 9.30am on May 21, so that its vendors could repair it by 11am within a few hours.

After conducting investigations, Bursa Malaysia concluded that the problem was not due to the trading system but that a 'Funlove' virus was responsible for it. The virus was first detected in 1999.

It is yet not known what circumstances led the virus to affect all three brokerages simultaneously. Bursa Malaysia said the issue called for no more investigation as it now rests with the brokerages' ways of handling their operating systems after the virus attack. Right now the brokerages are functioning normally.

The 'Funlove' virus lays in Windows systems' older versions 95, 98 and ME. It corrupts 32 bit Windows Executable PE files running in Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows NT. On running any infected file the Funlove rests in memory and constructs a dropper file, FLCSS.EXE under Windows System directory.

When Funlove infects the PC, it hunts for all PE files' local drives and infects all extensions having a PE format. The virus also infects network drive file, if the user has permission to write. In general the Funlove infects any file name starting with four alphabets.

According to Microsoft, this virus infection stayed for nearly two weeks from April 6, 2001 to April 20, 2001. The Register published this observation.

The Funlove virus halted Dell's production over two days in November 1999. Experts consider the virus a nasty bug. Funlove virus also distributed printer drivers unwittingly at Hewlett-Packard.

Related article: “Loopholes did not cause online banking thefts”: ICBC

» SPAMfighter News - 6/1/2007