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By Matt Hines, 25 September 2003 08:01

NEWS A computer virus has hit the US Department of State, affecting the performance of the government's IT system that manages visa approvals, according to reports. The virus shut down the State Department's Consular Lookout and Support System (CLASS) on Tuesday, according to published reports from Reuters and the Associated Press. A State Department representative reached by silicon.com sister site CNET News.com on Wednesday would not confirm that the system had crashed but indicated that IT personnel were working on a problem. Late on Wednesday, the State Department provided more details of the incident. According to spokeswoman Joanne Moore, at 4:30AM. Tuesday morning, the department's IT workers discovered the Welchia worm virus on an "unclassified open network" area of the CLASS system and began taking measures to contain the attack. At that time, the State Department sent a message to employees around the world warning them that CLASS was being temporarily shut down in order to prevent Welchia from spreading. However, Moore indicated that the virus never truly infiltrated CLASS. "At no time did the virus infect or corrupt the [CLASS] system," Moore said. "Due to the fast-spreading virus activity, the department was forced to quarantine all international communications." Welchia and the related MSBlast virus target openings in Microsoft's Windows operating system and have been linked to a number of government computer failures. A new report from the Computer and Communications Industry Association asserts that reliance on a single technology such as Windows for an overwhelming majority of computer systems threatens the security of the US economy and critical infrastructures. CLASS has been identified as one of the tools the US government is leaning on to help stem the flow of terrorists and other criminals entering the country. According to the State Department, CLASS has been improved over the past two years and now can access more detailed information banks to scrutinise eligibility of potential visa applicants. In a letter sent to Congress earlier this year, President Bush said CLASS contains about 13 million name records, which increases the State Department's ability to recognise individuals who might be a threat to national safety. Matt Hines writes for CNET News.com.