Industry experts say a sophisticated malicious computer software, or malware, described by security firms as a "new cyber-weapon," is attempting to infiltrate factory computers.
Called Stuxnet, the worm was first discovered in mid-June and appears to have been specially written to attack Siemens supervisory control and data (SCADA) systems.
Most reports about this worm have come from software companies specializing in protection against such malware.
"Once Stuxnet successfully penetrates factory computers in China, those industries may collapse, which would damage China’s national security," an engineer at Beijing-headquartered Rising International Software said.
However, the English People’s Daily Online quoted Yu Xiaoqiu, an analyst with the China Information Technology Security Evaluation Center, as saying, "The picture depicted by anti-virus companies is kind of commercial speculation. So far we don’t see any severe damage done by the virus."