Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the acf domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /var/www/html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6121 Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the simple-custom-post-order domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /var/www/html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6121 Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the insert-headers-and-footers domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /var/www/html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6121 Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /var/www/html/wp-includes/functions.php:6121) in /var/www/html/wp-includes/rest-api/class-wp-rest-server.php on line 1896 {"id":548,"date":"2024-06-06T16:40:01","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T16:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/turisvpn.com\/?p=548"},"modified":"2024-11-07T16:11:28","modified_gmt":"2024-11-07T08:11:28","slug":"what-is-the-first-computer-virus-in-the-philippines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.turisvpn.com\/blog\/what-is-the-first-computer-virus-in-the-philippines\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is The First Computer Virus In The Philippines?","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Similar to how biological viruses can harm our health, computer viruses pose a threat to privacy through various means – by stealing our data, blackmail, or simply causing disruptions to our lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back in 2000, an email containing the most terrifying virus, originating from the Philippines, unleashed a worldwide nightmare and cybersecurity globally went on high alert internationally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our article will delve into how this virus became a global horror and provide insights on the most effective methods of safeguarding yourself against computer viruses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>What Is The First Computer Virus in The Philippines?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The ILOVEYOU virus, the first computer virus in Philippines, became one of the most destructive in history<\/strong>. We will explore the origins of the ILOVEYOU virus and how it managed to wreak havoc on computer systems worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>The Origin of the ILOVEYOU Virus<\/strong> <\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first harmful and damaging computer virus to hit the Philippines was the ILOVEYOU virus on 4th May, 2000 before rapidly spreading all over the world. The story began when two students from Manila named Onel de Guzman and  Reonel Ramones created the ILOVEYOU virus. They first sent it out as a “joke” to their friends and classmates via email. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By exploiting human emotions such as love, victims were deceived into opening a seemingly harmless email attachment, and were lured into accessing the malicious content. The virus came in email inboxes with the subject line “ILOVEYOU” and an attachment named “LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs.” The .vbs extension meant it was a Visual Basic Script. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Little did they know, this prank would eventually spiral out of control, wreaking havoc on a global scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>How does the ILOVEYOU Virus Work?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When recipients opened the attachment, the virus began its work. It made copies of itself and corrupted important files, causing a lot of damage. It further spread by retrieving email addresses from mailing lists, forwarding the email to all contacts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This virus swiftly propagated via email, infecting numerous computers across the globe. It also had the capability to download other malicious content, even granting hackers control over the user\u2019s computer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As many corporations and individuals were using email systems, the ILOVEYOU virus spread worldwide and its catchy subject line made them open the attachment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consequently, it  infected millions of computers, affecting businesses, schools and even government organizations, causing significant economic losses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though it started in the Philippines, it quickly spread everywhere. The creators of the virus couldn’t be punished because the laws at that time didn’t cover computer crimes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This incident highlighted the importance of implementing robust cybersecurity protocols and fostering international collaboration to mitigate such online threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>What Happened To The Creators of ILOVEYOU Virus?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After the chaos of the ILOVEYOU virus, Onel de Guzman and Reonel Ramones walked free\u2014thanks to the lack of laws in the Philippines against creating malware at the time. In response to the devastation, the Philippine Congress quickly passed the E-Commerce Law in July 2000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast forward to 2012, and the Smithsonian named ILOVEYOU one of the top ten most virulent computer viruses in history. De Guzman, who preferred to keep a low profile, last appeared publicly at a press conference in 2000, hiding his face while his lawyer handled the tough questions. For nearly two decades, he was off the radar\u2014until investigative journalist Geoff White found him working at a mobile phone repair stall in Manila.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turns out, de Guzman had created the virus to snag free internet access, and he claimed he did it all by himself, clearing the names of his former co-accused. The infamous virus even inspired the Pet Shop Boys\u2019 song \u201cE-mail,\u201d which explores the human emotions that made this digital disaster possible. It’s a wild story that shows just how powerful\u2014and destructive\u2014our desires can be!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Damaging losses and lessons learned<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By learning from the devastating aftermath of the ILOVEYOU virus, we can better prepare ourselves to mitigate such future online threats:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Damage of the first computer virus<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So, exactly to what extent did this virus cause? <\/p>\n\n\n\n