C  I Host, a global leader in Web hosting and data center operations, today voiced concern for U.S. businesses, warning of unprecedented Internet virus attacks on British Web sites.

Christopher Faulkner, CEO of C I Host, said, "British authorities have identified as many as 17 Trojan horses in the concerted attacks - both previously known viruses and newly created -- within the last two months. The Trojans were hidden in e-mail attachments, and relied on human error to launch the payloads. It is social engineering 101. Workers must be educated to prevent the spread here."

The Trojans faked sender addresses from computer files fooling recipients who then opened the attachment and installed the Trojan inadvertently. The Trojans reportedly captured competitive and confidential information, and then forwarded the information to computers in Asia. It is unknown if that was the final destination, or if the scheme was to forward to criminals in other regions.

British authorities said most of the attacks were on U.K. government institutions, and that private companies and even individuals may also have been targeted. Among its 220,000 Web sites around the world, C I Host provides hosting services for 15,000 sites in Great Britain.