The ILOVEYOU Worm: How a Simple Email Caused Global Chaos in 2000 💻

On May 4, 2000, the “ILOVEYOU” computer worm spread globally through an email with the subject line “ILOVEYOU” and an attachment disguised as a text file. Once opened, it overwrote files, harvested passwords, and automatically sent copies of itself to every contact in the victim’s Microsoft Outlook address book. Within days, more than 10 million computers were infected, crashing email systems at major institutions including the Pentagon, NASA, and the British Parliament, with damages estimated between $3 and $10 billion.

The worm was traced to Onel de Guzman, a 24-year-old student in the Philippines. Although he admitted involvement, no charges were filed because the country had no laws against creating or distributing malware at the time. The incident highlighted the world’s unpreparedness for cyberattacks of this scale and directly influenced the Philippines to pass its first cybercrime legislation later that same year.

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