A new computer virus hit Google, Yahoo and other leading search engines as it tried to spread itself by repeatedly performing automated queries for additional e-mail addresses.

Those simultaneous searches from thousands of infected computers worldwide taxed the search engines and slowed service for many legitimate Internet users.

Google spokesman Steve Langdon acknowledged that while the site was never crippled, performance was slow for a brief period, longer for "a small percentage of our users and networks."

Lycos Inc.'s search engine also was affected. Spokeswoman Ana Sanchez said technicians were "putting in the blocks to filter out the undesirable traffic."

Yahoo Inc. spokeswoman Stephanie Ichinose described the virus's effect on the Yahoo and AltaVista search engines, both owned by Yahoo, as limited. She said Yahoo detected the queries early and took "the necessary steps to rectify the situation," though she would not disclose details.

By: DocMemory
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