This is a demonstration of the I Love You Virus (known mostly as "ILOVEYOU"), which was
recognized by the Guiness Book of World Records as the worst computer virus of all time, causing
more damage than anything like it before.
May 5, 2000 was just a very average day for the very average business supervisor. Though in just
a couple of hours, it would quickly turn into a day of utter chaos and turmoil. Nearly
every install of brand-new computer software damaged beyond repair, over 13,000 pieces of
malware detected in just one office building, and soon, over $20 billion in damage seen all
across
the world. What happened?
These catastrophic events were the work of a new computer worm that was circulating the
internet: “ILOVEYOU.”
Quite an ironic name, but it was derived from the fact that the worm would disguise itself as a
love letter coming from a secret admirer. Lo and behold, the virus caused destroyed more
computers than any of its predecessors. What exactly allowed it to cause this much damage, and
how did it work?