ILOVEYOU - A Computer Worm

If you listen ILOVEYOU or receive LOVE LETTER from someone, you will be happy. But in Computer World, it is one of the most dangerous worm that can damage on your system. ILOVEYOU, also known as LOVE LETTER worm , attacked more than ten millions Windows PC in May, 2000 in Philippines . It started spreading as an email with subject ILOVEYOU and the attachment "LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.txt.vbs". The users thought that it was a normal mail and they clicked on the attachment. Opening the attachment activated the Visual Basic script (also known as VB Script or VBS) of the file (the script of the Worm). The worm damaged on the local machine, overwrote random file extensions (image files, audio files, etc) to hide in it and sent its copy to the all addresses registered in Microsoft Outlook. 

Windows PCs were attacked because it is a scripting engine system that is capable of running the scripting language files (files with .vbs extension). It also hides the file extension by default. So the users will only see the file with .txt format and generally they will become fools.

When the script of the worm is activated, it starts to multiply itself in various formats like JPG, JPEG, JS, VBE, VBS, CSS, MP3 etc. It also search connected devices/drives to be hidden in those. It also uses social engines to be spread.

This worm was created by Reonel Ramones and Onel de Guzman. They were the residents of Philippines. In 2002, the worm obtained world record for being the most dangerous computer virus.