Data extracted

SEOUL: Hackers extracted lists of files from computers that they contaminated with the virus that triggered cyberattacks last week in the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK), police in Seoul said yesterday.

The finding means that hackers not only used affected computers for Web attacks, but also attempted to steal information from them. That adds to concern that contaminated computers were ordered to damage their own hard disks or files after the Web assaults.

Still, the new finding does not mean information was stolen from attacked websites, such as those of the White House and the ROK's presidential Blue House, police said. It also does not address suspicions about the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) involvement, they said.