The ILOVEYOU virus, also known as the Love Bug virus, was actually a worm, not a virus. It was created by Filipino student Onel de Guzman and spread through email messages with the subject line "ILOVEYOU". When recipients opened the attached document thinking it was a love letter, the worm would install itself on their computer and spread to others by email. On May 4, 2000, the worm began spreading, infecting over 50 million computers worldwide within a few days and causing major disruptions.

9. What is the ILOVEYOU Virus?
The Love Bug, ILOVEYOU, is often mistakenly
labeled a computer virus. However, it is crucial to
clarify that it is, in fact, a worm. The key
distinction lies in the method of propagation.
While a virus relies on a “host file” to trigger the
infection and subsequent activation on each
infected computer, a worm diverges from this
pattern.

10. Origin and Spread of the ILOVEYOU Virus
A Filipino computer programmer named Onel de Guzman
designed and unleashed the “ILOVEYOU” virus. He
incorporated the virus into the source code he submitted for
his final thesis while studying as an undergraduate computer
student at the AMA Computer College. But the original goal of
ILOVEYOU wasn’t to cause unwarranted destruction of the
victim’s computer. In his thesis draft, Onel de Guzman
outlined his program’s objective of acquiring Windows
passwords and extracting internet accounts stored on the
victim’s computer. The “ILOVEYOU” virus, which he
developed, was designed to fulfill these goals.

11. The spread of the virus
On May 4, 2000, the infection commenced when
a spammed email message reached the
Philippines, enticing recipients with the subject
line “ILOVEYOU.” The email enticed the
recipients to open the attached document,
purportedly a love letter from the sender.

12. Impact and Damage of the ILOVEYOU Virus
Soon as the love bug hit the internet, its effect
was overreaching and devastating. Within
hours of its first sighting in the Philippines, the
worm had tunneled its way across Asia,
Europe, and North America. Its propagation
outpaced the Melissa virus — which struck a
year earlier, affecting about 1 million
computers — by approximately 15 times.

21. In simple terms, a "time bomb virus" is like a hidden
computer program that is set to go off at a certain
time, just like a time bomb in the movies. When it
activates, it can do harmful things to your computer,
such as deleting files, damaging your data, or even
making your computer stop working. The idea behind
such a virus is to cause trouble or harm your
computer on a specific date or under certain
conditions, and it's meant to be a surprise attack.

23. A "logical bomb virus" is like a hidden trap on
your computer. It sits quietly until a specific
condition, like a certain date or event, is met.
When that condition is triggered, the virus can
cause problems, like deleting files or damaging
your computer. It's similar to a time bomb, but
instead of a timer, it relies on specific actions or
events.

25. A "worm virus" is like a digital germ that can
spread from one computer to another. It doesn't
need you to do anything; it can move on its own.
Once it infects your computer, it can copy itself
and then send those copies to other computers,
often causing damage or stealing information
along the way. It's like a contagious disease for
computers.

27. A "boot sector virus" is like a sneaky bug that
infects the starting part of your computer's
operating system. When you turn on your
computer, this virus activates and can harm your
system by corrupting important files or making
your computer not start up properly. It's like a
bad apple hidden in the first bite of your
computer's startup process.

29. A "macro virus" is like a tiny troublemaker that
hides inside documents, such as Word or Excel
files. When you open one of these infected
documents, the virus can run and cause
problems on your computer, like deleting files or
spreading itself to other documents. It's like a
small but annoying gremlin that gets into your
paperwork and causes chaos.

31. A "script virus" is like a sneaky piece of code
that can run on your computer without your
permission. It can cause various issues like
stealing your personal information, slowing
down your computer, or spreading to other parts
of your system. It's like a digital troublemaker
that can mess with your computer's workings.

33. A "Trojan horse virus" is like a deceptive package. It
appears to be something useful or harmless, but
when you open it or run it, it secretly carries hidden
malware into your computer. This malware can then
do harmful things, like stealing your personal
information, damaging your files, or giving control of
your computer to cybercriminals. It's like a fake gift
that turns out to be a dangerous surprise.