`Love Bug' from Philippines strikes at the heart of email

The most damaging e-mail computer virus to date, masquerading as a love letter, has disrupted the operations of companies worldwide, including hundreds in Ireland. Analysts said the cost could run to billions of dollars.

The Love Bug, believed to have originated in the Philippines, caused many businesses to shut down their e-mail servers (the computers that control the entry and exit of e-mails to and from organisations) making electronic communication impossible for much of yesterday.

Companies in Asia, Europe, North America and Australia were hit, including the House of Commons in Britain, the Pentagon in the US, Ford and Vodafone AirTouch.

The phone lines of one Dublin anti-virus software company were blocked from early morning by customers seeking assistance. A spokesman for Priority Data Systems said most financial organisations, utilities, software companies and Government Departments had been hit.

The latest virus used Microsoft's popular Outlook email programme to propagate, and spread rapidly owing to its enticing I LOVE YOU message in the subject field. Recipients are then told to "Kindly check the attached love letter from me!"

Once the attached programme is activated it quickly replicates itself by automatically sending copies to those listed in the recipient's e-mail address books.

Network Associates, a leading US supplier of anti-virus software, said the Love Bug had been traced to four computers in the Philippines. Internet links to these computers were shut down late yesterday after Network Associates contacted an Internet-service provider there.

Anti-virus software companies were intermittently issuing new "patches" throughout yesterday to detect and treat the virus as more was learned about its make-up.

The virus is also capable of destroying graphic and audio files, and obtaining copies of private passwords on personal computers.

The Dublin-based Internet banking group, Enba, said it was affected by the virus yesterday morning, although it had been warned of its arrival on Wednesday evening.

According to Mr Shane Colclough, chief technology officer for Enba's factor-e banking product, "the major impact of this virus has been on productivity. Most of the work we do is PC-based, and like many other organisations I've spoken to, we've just had to send people home. The biggest cost to us will be the down time."