Michael Buen, a Filipino programmer who at the time was 23 years old, and his friend, Onel de Guzman were both suspected of releasing the "I Love You" Virus; they both went to AMA Computer University. The virus was believed to be written by Buen and released "by mistake" by Onel de Guzman. Michael Buen graduated from AMA University on May 5 which was the day after the Love Bug Virus was released and he denies writing and/or spreading the virus. Onel de Guzman was supposed to graduate the same day but didn't due to his thesis being rejected because it was a method to steal passwords and receive free use of the net which was a feature of the Love Bug.
"I Love You" Virus
Around February 2000, the "I Love You" virus started out as an email to Sophos, a security firm based in Oxfordshire, England. When looking at the email one thought Michael Buen from the Philippines was looking for a job. Once someone opened the email they saw a threat that said "Warning! If I don't get a stable job by the end of the month, I will release a third virus that will remove all folders in the primary hard disc". The virus was designed to reproduce itself and infect Word documents. The virus made history as it swept through banks, security firms, web hosting companies and it didn't stop there. The virus went as far as forcing the Pentagon, CIA, the British Parliament, and most large corporations to completely shut down their mail systems.
Investigation
During the investigation, investigators found and seized a floppy disk from Onel de Guzman's apartment which contained a similar type of virus. National Bureau of Investigation agents came up with a law in 1998 stating that dealt with fraudulent use of credit cards, account numbers and passwords which convicted would mean penalty of up to 20 years in prison, but under Philippine Law, hacking is not a crime. Chief State Counsel Elmer Bautista thought since the Love Bug gathered the passwords from the infected computers that this could fall under the fraud law.
