Eight million users suffered from computer virus

SHANGHAI: A destructive computer virus invented by a group of 11 people stole and sold the personal details of more than eight million gamers, a Xuzhou court was told.

The virus called Wenrou had attacked more than 1,200 websites, seriously damaged the operation of more than 40 online games and contributed to half of all thefts of online game accounts by the time police dismantled the group in August 2008, according to the Gulou District People's Court in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province.

Account passwords and virtual assets were stolen from more than eight million gamers, and 13 domestic online game operators in the country suffered huge losses, according to chinacourt.org.