NBI, FBI probe Pinoy computer whiz kids

Philippine and US authorities are set to investigate a group of young computer programmers after one admitted he may have accidentally launched the crippling virus called the "Love Bug" on the Internet, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said yesterday.

Members of the Grammersoft group are "targets for investigation," said Carlos Caabay, NBI deputy director for investigation services.

Grammersoft member and AMA Computer College dropout Onel de Guzman admitted Thursday "it is possible" he had accidentally sent the "ILOVEYOU" virus, the most destructive program unleashed on the Internet.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is helping the NBI, Caabay said.

Grammersoft has been described by police and AMA authorities as a group of students who design software programs for small businesses and, on the side, write theses for sale to computer science students.

Experts said the word "Grammersoft" appeared on the text of the virus sent via electronic mail.

The NBI also wanted to question eight other students who may be friends of De Guzman or members of Grammersoft whose names appeared in the diskettes, Caabay said.

Experts analyzing computer files seized from De Guzman's apartment in Pandacan, Manila have found signs of disturbing behavior among his friends.

One file, a job application letter, revealed threats by the author to destroy the company's computers if ever he is rejected.

"This may be just a prank, but to sure, we will study all the files and find out if there are other threats," an NBI operative told The STAR.

The source refused to disclose further details, except that the author of the letter is now under investigation.

Michael Buen, another AMA student being sought by authorities, is reportedly not a member of Grammersoft.

"We do not limit our investigation to the remaining suspects. We are conducting a very objective investigation," he said. "The US embassy is coordinating with us, they have provided us with computer experts and they are very instrumental in this aspect of the investigation."

While admitting he may be the source of the virus, De Guzman appeared to care little about the chaos it caused.

He stressed he had nothing to say to governments whose security systems were compromised by the file-chomping bug which caused billions of dollars in damage when it attacked at least 45 million computer users.

His lawyer, Rolando Quimbo, said De Guzman did not have a clear grasp between "what is illegal and moral" and if offenses were committed by him or the group it could be charged to "youthful exuberance."

De Guzman, 23, wrote a thesis on stealing computer passwords which was disapproved by AMA as "illegal." The rejection meant he did not graduate. He reiterated the other day that he merely wanted people to have the opportunity to surf the Internet for free.

Teachers characterized De Guzman as a quiet student who kept to himself most of the time, but who possessed a keen understanding of how computer systems worked.

They said he often had low grades in general subjects, but would produce perfect scores in highly-technical computer subjects.

He is the brother of Irene de Guzman, the live-in partner of Reonel Ramones, who was detained by the NBI Monday as the "alleged author" of the bug but was subsequently released due to insufficient evidence.

"We will call them possible suspects because as of now, we have not established evidence against them," Caabay said.

He said the NBI had invited the De Guzman siblings for questioning, but they were advised by their lawyers to exercise their constitutional right against self-incrimination.

Caabay said De Guzman's admission that he might have produced the virus did not automatically mean Ramones was no longer the prime suspect.

"There is a sort of an indirect admission. While he does not admit he has intentionally released the virus, we will continue investigating and he is one of the possible suspects," Caabay said.

However, he said the lawyer told the NBI he had advised his clients "not to give any statements" and to "press charges" against agents of the bureau if they were arbitrarily questioned.

An NBI technical team assisted by the FBI is working overtime to decode files from 17 diskettes seized from the Pandacan apartment which could yield more evidence.

The antidote to the "Love Bug" attack allegedly unleashed by a Filipino was created by a team of experts that included Filipinos, House Speaker Manuel Villar said yesterday.

Villar said the team belonging to Internet security company Trend Micro had worked within hours of the spread of the "Love Bug" to create an anti-virus program called "SWAT.exe."

He said the program reversed some of the damage inflicted by the virus and restored the integrity of infected computers.

"The Trend Micro team was composed of 200 American and Filipino computer experts," the Speaker pointed out.

He did not say how many Filipinos were actually involved, but stressed that "this just goes to show the talents of our world-class information technology (IT) officials."

"When Filipino computer experts use their talents productively and in the right way, they can positively contribute to the development of the global IT sector," Villar said.

Earlier, the Speaker said the Filipino author of the virus should have used his talents on a legitimate program so he could "get rich and bring recognition to our country."

Meanwhile, Rep. Harry Angping (LAMP, Manila), author of one of several IT-related bills pending in the House, batted yesterday for legislation that would govern the use of the Internet and electronic commerce.

Angping said e-commerce could soon become a multi-billion peso industry in the Philippines.

"While Internet transactions are still growing in the country, there is a need to put in place legislation that would simplify and facilitate the domestic and international exchange of information, deals and arrangements and impose sanctions for hacking, forgery and violations of privacy," he said.

The lawmaker also urged the government and the private sector to work together and help bring down the cost of owning computers and using the Internet.

In a related development, AMA said yesterday graduates of four- and five-year computer courses need to be professionalized to discourage them from turning to hacking and other illegal activities.

By requiring graduates to take licensure examinations with the Professional Regulatory Commission, they might learn to practice self-restriction, AMA executive vice president Manuel Abad said.

"Information technology is a very sensitive matter. If misused, you can destroy an entire company. In the absence of any law that covers high-tech offenses, we can professionalize the industry instead," Abad said.

He said if professionals are sworn to a Code of Ethics, it will help them respect their chosen career. --