In 2000, a virus also shook the world, however, unlike SARS-CoV-2, it did not target humans but gathered their information through computers.
Known as the 'Love Bug' or the 'I Love You' virus was the first major computer virus to invade computers all over the world. The so-called 'Love Bug' pandemic started on May 4, 2000. Twenty years later, the man behind the outbreak admitted his guilt.
Onel de Guzman, was only 24 years old when he made the said virus. Now, at 44 years old, the Filipino computer geek said that he only made released the computer worm in order to steal passwords and use the internet without paying.
De Guzman claimed that he did not intend for the virus to spread and cause a global mishap and he regrets the damage that he caused whilst only aiming to save a few hundred pesos on internet bills.
According to BBC, during an interview for an upcoming book on cybercrime, Crime Dot Com, de Guzman said that he never expected his code to reach the United States and Europe.
Deceitful 'I Love You'.
Victims of the 'I Love You' virus reported that they received an email that said "LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU." Upon opening the email they found a malicious code which then overwrote their files, stole their passwords and sent copies of the virus to the contacts in the victim's address book.
In a span of only 24 hours, the virus has already caused a major problem all over the world after it reportedly infected at least 45 million machines globally. Email systems of organizations were overwhelmed forcing IT managers to disconnect parts of their infrastructure in order to prevent those from getting infected.
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The 'Love Bug' caused damage and disruption worth billions of pounds. In the United Kingdom, the Parliament was prompted to shut down its email network for several hours. Even the Pentagon, America's most secure facility was reportedly infiltrated.
Investigators then began to look for the source of the malicious email and they were able to trace it back to an email address registered in the Philippines. Specifically to an apartment in the country's capital Manila.
De Guzman's brother was the one who was registered as the occupant of the apartment. De Guzman was only an undergraduate student of computer science then, but he was also a member of Grammersoft, an underground hacking group, making him the lead suspect in the investigation.
However, during that time the Philippines did not have a law that covers cybercrimes, thus, nobody was prosecuted.
Where is De Guzman now?
Twenty years after causing a cyber pandemic, De Guzman was tracked working in a cellphone repair booth in a mall in Manila. That is when he admitted to being the creator of the "I Love You' virus. However, he said that initially, he coded the virus to get free internet by hacking into passwords of dial-up internets within his area.
In addition, he also stated that the 'Love Bug' was only the revamped version of his internet password-stealing code. He admitted into making a few tweaks on his code and making a title for the email attachment that would prompt people to open it.
According to De Guzman, calling it the 'I Love You' virus stemmed from his observation that many people are romantics and that the idea of receiving a love letter may immediately tempt people to open the email.
