ILOVEYOU

ILOVEYOU, sometimes referred to as the Love Bug or Loveletter, was a computer worm that infected tens of millions of Windows computers following its release on 4 May 2000. The worm was mainly distributed through email attachments sent to contacts on an infected system's address book, and is an example of malware using social engineering to aid its spread. Once run, the worm overwrites files with its source code and attempts to spread to other computers. The worm was created by Onel de Guzman, a dropout of AMA Computer College in the Philippines, because of his belief that internet access was a human right; the worm attempts to download a computer trojan that steals dial-up Internet access credentials to fulfill this aim. Philippine prosecutors ultimately dropped all charges against de Guzman because of a lack of laws against hacking in the country. In response, President Joseph Estrada signed an e-commerce law to cover against similar activity. Affecting an estimated 10% of internet-connected computers at the time, the ILOVEYOU worm is considered to be one of the most virulent examples in the history of malware. The worm caused approximately US$10 billion worth of damages to numerous government agencies and corporations. It has inspired several creative works, including art installations, songs and films.