The first computer virus in the Philippines is the ILOVEYOU virus, also known as the Love Bug or Love Letter virus.
What is the ILOVEYOU Virus?
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Released: May 4, 2000
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Origin: Philippines
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Creator(s): Allegedly Onel de Guzman, a college student from AMA Computer College in Manila
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Type: Worm (a type of self-replicating malware)
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Target: Microsoft Windows systems
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Spread Via: Email with the subject line “ILOVEYOU” and an attachment named
LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs
Impact of the ILOVEYOU Virus
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Infected over 10 million computers globally within a few days.
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Caused damages estimated at $5.5 to $10 billion USD.
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Overwrote image files, documents, and audio files.
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Spread through Microsoft Outlook by auto-sending itself to contacts.
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One of the fastest-spreading and most damaging viruses in history.
Why It Was So Effective
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Played on social engineering—curiosity and emotion.
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Most people didn’t notice the
.vbs(VBScript) extension due to default Windows settings hiding file extensions. -
It appeared to be a harmless love letter.
⚖️ Legal Consequences
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At the time, the Philippines had no law against cybercrime, so the alleged creator(s) could not be prosecuted under existing laws.
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This led to the creation of the Philippine E-Commerce Act (RA 8792) in June 2000.
Legacy and Significance
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Highlighted the global risks of email-based malware.
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Sparked governments worldwide to enhance cybersecurity laws.
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Became a case study in information security and social engineering.
Fun Fact:
Onel de Guzman admitted in a 2020 interview that he might have been behind the virus but claimed it was not meant to cause global damage—he allegedly wanted to access paid internet accounts for free.
