Italian Senate Shut Down By Gay Computer Worm 
by Malcolm Thornberry 365Gay.com European Bureau Chief

Posted: November 24 2004 12:01 am ET

(Rome)  The Italian Senate ground to a halt Tuesday as a virus wormed its way through the upper house's computer system flashing gay pornography every time a terminal was accessed.

Computers in the Senate chamber and the offices of every senator were infected.  The system's firewall was helpless as it was overcome by the fast spreading worm.

No matter what Senators or the staff did all that would come on their computers were hard core gay pictures.  

The attack was in apparent retaliation for the firing of an assistant to the Senate's vice president, after images of him attending a gay party in Rome surfaced.

Dario Mattiello was spotted by a photographer at a gay nightspot in Rome. The pictures of Mattierllo were turned over to Sen. Domenico Fisichella a member of the ruling ultra conservative National Alliance and a close associate of Prime Minister Berlusconi.

The computer attack was "very sophisticated" said a Parliamentary security official. It was first noticed Monday night and by Tuesday morning the worm had infected every computer in the Senate system.

Tuesday night computer technicians were attempting to restore order to the system.  Police are trying to determine the source of the worm but admit that it may be an impossible task.

Franco Grillini, an MP and honorary president of the gay rights group, Arcigay, said that Mattiello's firing was "in blatant violation of the most basic liberal values of contemporary Europe". 

Last month Berlusconi's Europe minister, Rocco Buttiglione, was rejected as a candidate for the European commission for justice after branding homoaffectionality a sin. (story)

Sen. Fisichella called the computer attack "an act of terrorism".