国内英语新闻:Web security questioned after hackers leak personal data of over 6 million Internet users

"I wouldn't dare register my personal information on the Internet in the future," she said.

In the first half of this year, 217 million Chinese Internet users, or 44.7 percent of the country's total online population, were attacked by malware, including viruses or Trojan horses, and 121 million had the experience of having their accounts or passwords stolen, according to the China Internet Networks Information Center (cnnIC).

Computer experts have advised Internet users against panicking, saying that changing their passwords in a timely manner would prevent their privacy from being violated.

But other experts said changing passwords can only address the symptoms of the problem, not the cause.

"Users should enhance the protection of their personal information by not providing too much real information in online registrations and setting difficult passwords that will be hard for hackers to crack," Zhou Yonglin said.

"Internet operators should strengthen their management, self-discipline, security guarantees and emergency response capabilities," he said.

"The government should attach great importance to new security issues arising from the application of various new technologies and intensify the crackdown on illegal industry chains," he said.

Earlier this week, authorities in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen launched an Internet supervision measure requiring local microblog operators to implement real-name registration requirements for users, a move designed to curb online rumors and enhance social credibility.

It is not immediately clear whether the latest information leak will affect the Internet supervision measure.

China has the world's largest online population, with the number of Internet users reaching 485 million by the end of June this year, cnnIC figures show.

Also Friday, the State Council, or China's Cabinet, announced that the government will accelerate the development of the next-generation Internet industry in the next few years and boost the sector's role in stimulating the economy.

Network and information security protection will be strengthened so as to comprehensively improve the safety and credibility of the next-generation Internet industry, according to a statement released after an executive meeting of the State Council presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao.

"We are also in dire need of speeding up information security legislation in order to perfect the web security system and strictly carry out the responsibility system," Shi Xiaohong of Qihoo 360 said.