ILOVEYOU

 

The ILOVEYOU worm attacked tens of millions of computers running Windows from May 2000. It got its name from the subject line of the email to which it was attached, disguised as a text file. When the attachment was opened, it triggered a Visual Basic script that started to destroy files and sent a copy of itself to all the contacts in Windows’ Address Book.

ILOVEYOU relied on flaws in Windows to allow it to hide the fact that it wasn’t, in fact, a text file but a Visual Basic script. But it also used social engineering, creating curiosity in the mind of the recipient, to persuade users to open the attachment. At the time, it was estimated that one in ten internet-connected computers had been affected and a cost of $5-8 billion, with a further $15 billion in clean-up costs. The Pentagon, CIA, and UK Parliament shut down email systems to protect themselves. And the virus even inspired a song by the Pet Shop Boys that reflected on the human desires that allowed the virus to spread.