First published: 30th November 2008
Director Francis de la Torre is working on "Subject: I Love You", a movie based, in part, on VBS/LoveLet-A, the email worm that spread around the world with unprecedented speed in May 2000. Set in Manila, the Philippines, the story revolves around a romance between an American girl (played by Briana Evigan) and a Filipino boy. She leaves the country, and he writes an email worm in a misguided attempt to contact her.
Slightly cuddly senior technology consultant and aspiring movie-star Graham Clueley expressed concern that the movie might make virus-writing appear cool or even sexy.
VBS/LoveLet-A caused data loss by overwriting JPEG files and attracted considerable media attention by its speed of spread. Manila native Onel de Guzman was reported to be the author, but he was never tried because the Philippines had no applicable laws at the time. There was no suggestion that a romance had inspired the worm.