Virus Suspect is Really Wanted

[InfoSec News <isn () C4I ORG>]

[These are the kind of reports I hate reading about after a major
computer security crisis, That 9 out of 10 times the party doing all
the damage in a country that has no real computer crime law ends up
getting huge job offers even though the crime showed no real technical
skill, but only showed the balls of the party, and shows to others
that crime in the end really does pay.  -WK]


http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,38382,00.html

Reuters
10:50 a.m. Aug. 23, 2000 PDT

A computer school dropout suspected of being responsible for the "Love
Bug" virus that hit computers around the world in May said Wednesday
he had been deluged with job offers from home and abroad.

Onel de Guzman, speaking to reporters for the first time in four
months, said: "Calls would come one after another at my house, and my
sister would talk to them. I don't entertain them because my siblings
tell me there will be more offers to come."

He said, however, that he also wants to complete his studies and
produce something "educational" and not controversial.

The Philippine Justice Department on Monday dropped charges against De
Guzman, 24, after authorities said there was no law they could use
against him since their anti-hacking law had not been approved until
June.

The virus, reported to have caused billions of dollars of damage,
infected the Pentagon, Britain's parliament, and major companies such
as Ford and Lucent. It was traced to a dilapidated apartment in the
Manila suburb of Pandacan where de Guzman's sister lived.

Investigators alleged that de Guzman unleashed the virus in an effort
to steal passwords for Internet access. But his lawyers said he may
have transmitted it by mistake.

The virus, which appeared in e-mail messages entitled "ILOVEYOU,"
opened and destroyed user files, stole passwords, and replicated
itself through the user's computer address book.

De Guzman had submitted a thesis to his computer school detailing a
program that would steal passwords for Internet access and post them
to a specified e-mail address. The school rejected his thesis, and he
dropped out.

De Guzman said Wednesday he plans to go back to school, and he has
another computer program for his thesis in mind.

"Of course I want to go back to finish school. I'm thinking of a new
thesis proposal, but this time it would not be controversial, it would
be educational," de Guzman said.

"There will be no more Trojan horses that can be used only by hackers.
This time it will be a program for all."

He said: "When I log onto the Internet, I think I won't go to the
hacking sites anymore. After what happened with my thesis proposal,
I'm going to change things... I've learned my lesson."

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