The Bkav Corporation on June 5 warned that up to 1.2 million computers in Vietnam might have been infected with a destructive virus called W32.XFileUSB that can wipe all data on the users’ USB drive.

Up to 1.2 million computers in Vietnam might have been infected with a destructive virus called W32.XFileUSB that spreads through USB drive.

According to Bkav, the virus can create a fake drive icon or a fake shortcut to attack files on USB drives. 

When a computer is infected with this virus, once the user connects to his USB device, the virus will delete the files on the USB and replace them with fake files containing malware. 

When the virus-infected USB is inserted into another computer, the virus will continue to spread.

Data loss is a common security breach in Vietnam, said Bkav Vice Chairman Vu Ngoc Son, adding that the virus can not only cause data loss but also take control of the computers to download more malware to spy the computers or launch a targeted attack.

Bkav estimated that computer viruses caused economic losses of up to 12.3 trillion VND, or 541.2 million USD, last year, up 18.27 percent from 10.4 trillion VND (457.6 million USD) in 2016 and more than 41 percent higher than 2015’s figure.-VNA