Spark NZ users lose internet access

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/06/spark-nz-users-lose-internet-access

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A major breakdown at New Zealand’s main telecommunications carrier left many customers without internet access when malicious software apparently took over some users’ computers and began bombarding the network with data.

Spark New Zealand – the country’s biggest telecommunications company and formerly Telecom New Zealand – was still working to fix problems on Saturday morning, with many of its customers experiencing problems with accessing the internet.

Users had difficulty browsing on broadband and mobile platforms, the company said on its Facebook page.

“The cause is likely to be a handful of customers whose computers are affected by malware, creating bulk traffic going to offshore sites,” Spark said.

“It’s likely the affected customers aren’t aware this is happening.”

Technicians worked through Friday night and into Saturday to find and block the affected connections.

“We’re sorry the hassles are continuing,” Spark NZ said in a mid-morning post on Saturday.

Spark was formerly Telecom, which was spun off from the postal service in the late 1980s and privatised in 1990.