India's Infosys Technologies Hit By Virus Attack

"As a preventive measure, we stopped the network [of computers within the company] for a couple of hours in the first half of the day," an Infosys spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity.

Work resumed in the afternoon after the virus was isolated, she said.

"Things are back to normal now," she said.

The virus attacked the company's Bangalore center, where 8,000 people work, and some computers at its centers in other Indian cities, she said.

The virus was detected after a dramatic increase in the flow of data on the company's network, she said. However, Infosys does not suspect it was specifically targeted by those spreading the virus, she added.

Infosys writes software for some of the world's top companies, including Airbus, Apple Computer, Cisco Systems, Lucent, Monsanto, Nortel, Toshiba, ABN Amro and New York Life Insurance.

The company employs 23,000 people and has annual revenues of US$1 billion.

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