China reported 223 fake websites last year, a sharp contrast to only one reported in each 2003 and 2002.

Figures came from the National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team/Coordination Center (CNCERT) during a two-day annual session on the computer network security, which started Thursday.

Many websites of domestic financial institutions, including the Bank of China, have been impersonated. Hackers send e-mails with false information or forged web pages to trick Internet users into visiting their fake sites. They are asked to input credit card numbers, usernames, passwords, allowing the hackers to steal their money, the CNCERT official explained.

As e-commerce and online payment services and bank business become more popular, so do these website impersonations, said an official with the center.

Most of the fake web pages are created by overseas hackers. The Chinese host computers have not been updated with patches or protected by anti-virus software and firewalls, the official said.

According to statistics, Internet-related counterfeit and fraud have led to global losses of US$32.2 billion in 2003.

Imitation of websites, however, is just one of the security problems. Illicit revision of web pages, spam mail, Internet worms and other viruses are all intimidating the security of China's computer networks.

The CNCERT received 64,686 security cases of computer networks last year, five times that of the previous year. The cases of illegally altering web pages accounted for 45.9 percent of the total.

The official warned government departments to enhance the safeguard capability of their computer works, which have become the top target of hackers' attacks.

China has established an efficient mechanism to respond to and deal with network security problems and most cases can be handled in five days.

(Xinhua News Agency March 26, 2005)