Director Ang Lee (2nd L) poses with actors (L-R) Tony Leung, Tang Wei, Lee-hom Wang and Joan Chen at the premiere of the film "Lust, Caution" during the 64th Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Aug. 30, 2007. [Xinhua]

BEIJING -- As Oscar-winning director Ang Lee's spy thriller "Lust, Caution" hits theaters around the world, Internet hackers have showed an interest in the film by spreading a virus on websites related to the movie.

As of Friday, the virus had infected several hundreds of websites, online forums and blogs about the film, according to a Beijing Daily report that quoted Rising, a domestic company specializing in the research and production of anti-virus software.

The virus damages computers when users download the film online or explore websites about the blockbuster. Once hit by the virus, computers monitors will show abnormal blue screens.

The virus can infect some hardware, such as flash disks and mobile hard disks, when they are connected to computers that carry the virus.