The Unintended Devastation of the ILOVEYOU Virus | Hidden Stories

In this week's story, I cover the case of the ILOVEYOU Virus - a software that was intended for good by its Philippines creator, but would end up as one of the most devastating, fastest-spreading viruses in history.
If you're new here, my name is Andy Jiang and I do a vigorous, detailed dives into some of the most fascinating, bizarre, and unreal true stories that are out there. Subscribe and turn on all post notifications so you don’t miss any of my weekly uploads!
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[@andyyjiang]

Hey everyone! Starting next Wednesday (October 4th), all future Hidden Stories will be migrating to a new, separate channel for clarity and simplicity. All of the current stories will still remain up on this channel, but all new videos moving forward will be posted on the new "Hidden Stories" KZbin channel here: www.youtube.com/@hiddenstoriesYT. If you want to continue keeping up with the weekly stories and my Hidden Stories series, subscribe to this new channel ✌

[@Ihavea.crushonDanDan-imwasted-]

Cool

[@armandobanal5802]

Just keep getting better.👍

[@iDontReallyKnowTbh]

Imagine this guy as a grandpa sitting all his grandchildren down and going “did I tell you the story of-“ and all the children sit and listen to this guys amazing storytelling skills

[@ZtheTaco]

Those kids r gonna need to sit through a LOT of stories lol

[@hpamdmonster]

I just can't imagine him as a grandpa.😀

[@dmvmeu7140]

Awh that's so sweet 😂❤

[@v1rtual_dreamz]

They won’t need an iPad, they would be entertained.

[@PanzerKampsf]

It’s rare to find story content creators who actually look like they’re interacting with the viewer instead of just speaking in a boring monotone voice all the time, good job, Andy!

[@Bukki13]

why doesn’t long form content from shorts creators get recommended more often?

[@_Cambria_]

Right? Hopefully they start pushing his content more because these videos are so good!

[@goldenalex22]

Good question…

[@DiZoSoMom]

Very good question. I think a lot of big content creators have realized the algorithm is broken, so they have separate accounts for snorts and full-length videos so they can market/push them more themselves.

[@MYZS]

KZbin prefers you have two separate channels for both rather than one singular one

[@Akira.0.]

KZbin

[@robert-trading-as-Bob69]

It is a pity that Onel was no longer able to follow a career he obviously loved. He might be the biggest loser to his own virus.

[@elmagnificow8494]

damn true.

[@Yos115]

I've heard this one before but still staying because it's Andy telling the story 😁

[@molten612]

same

[@DOROTHY_MCGUIRESON]

Same

[@olemrac6]

Ong

[@external316]

You went from being someone who leaves people on Cliff hangers and not telling the full story to being a amazing storyteller that digs deep to find the best stories and doesn’t just say “oh this person said oh heck to a 20 year old guy at the gas station as a joke that they both laughed at, cancel him, put him in federal prison! That’s asalt! That’s killing his mental state! Bla bla bla bla BLA”. Thanks bro.

[@lavenderflowersfall280]

Yus

[@abdallahhakeem5185]

It's so funny to think about The Pentagon and Major Political Bureau Administrations and Agencies just casually opening anonymous love letters they received through emails directed towards official governmental addresses: "Tee hee! I wonder who it could be?"

[@Sosa_DDTY]

Right??? Like who opens a love email at work? Lol

[@KavehsSecretary]

" Oh a love letter sent to the official and legitimate government address , im opening it"

[@BG-iu1ld]

Even large institutions need love! 😂❤️

[@BlondeQtie]

@@KavehsSecretary like he said, the internet was different 24 years ago 😅 there wasn’t much awareness or knowledge about viruses.

[@KavehsSecretary]

@@BlondeQtie Ah yes i noted this but the thought is still quite humorous to me

[@gregmeyer9595]

Glad he finally got to tell his story, awesome story. I gotta say I enjoy that i your long format stories I’ve never heard before. Keep up the hard work.

[@Klausenburg_Bro]

I love this. Higher quality than most other KZbin essay, even normal shows.

[@JACKIElovesBLUE]

This was crazy!! Your story telling is so good!! Love listening to it

[@ChocolateMilk19]

That university rejection for his thesis really created a villain anti-hero just wanting to make the internet free for everyone!

[@beterbomen]

I want to give this guy a hug... He went through so much shit.

[@wanali4504]

Damn, I was actually shocked by the small number of views. This deserves at least a million.

[@Davi-rx]

It will pick up, he just recently started posting longer stories.

[@_rik]

I feel bad for him, such a giant mistake and he must’ve regretted it so much. Although those shades made him look dripped out to mask the fear

[@janemiettinen5176]

Its like letting your cat out and later finding out the cat had help and they killed all the birds they found.. So cool he got to tell his story eventually, sometimes things have unforeseen results.

[@bryannaing6316]

While he definitely had the best of intentions, there's a reason the entire school board said no to something ethically wrong. Still, sucks for the poor guy who didn't intend to cause all the damage he did.

[@GadAnimations]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I interpreted the thesis as a theoretical approach to a computer program, not something that was actually planned to be released in that moment. Ethical concerns are really important and something to discuss within the school, but not letting him graduate seems ridiculous to me. They were testing his knowledge on a subject and he succeeded, they just didn't like his answer due to their own biases. There's absolutely a world where he could have graduated as well as instructed not to follow through with this theoretical approach due to ethical concerns.

[@SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans7648]

@@GadAnimations Well, this would be one thesis the school wouldn't want to publish either, vitiating the point.

[@suskagusip1036]

​​@@GadAnimations Believe it or not. In my school if they found out you're pregnant they kicked you out. I have one classmate that we were already ready to march for our graduation they found out she was pregnant they kicked her out of graduation. That's a public university funded half by the government. Idk why these oldy professors still live in 1521. The year when Magellan discovered the Philippines. Many of them are fluent in Spanish too and none of their students interested anymore.

[@biguniverse9493]

wow. you’re amazing story teller.. i did not get bored at all for 18 minutes of your video.Thank you. please keep posting . because i will definitely watch it.

[@SpriteMan1]

Those teachers fr started his villain arc

[@kristinae.7084]

Andy, I just love your warm, compassionate personality and your great storytelling ability. I love that you tell fascinating stories that are not horrible and violent like other channels

[@lavenderflowersfall280]

Only the guy he was telling the story about smom could feel that way anymore

[@pamelairvine-pearson4719]

Love your stories, Andy. This longer format is fantastic! I look forward to Wednesdays now 😊

[@_ZeroMaximum_]

As a Filipino, I somehow feel like we're being recognized...

[@jhbf]

we should get less recognition 🎉🎉🎉

[@IHaveAFatherButHesAbroad]

@@jhbf yeah we should ✨

[@Philippineball1062]

Yeah it's rare for us to be recognized.

[@jhbf]

@@Philippineball1062 good🎉

[@ArwinasFormerMoon]

So this was how ILOVEYOU virus start?

[@rpac2736]

These stories are just so captivating and interesting. Keep up the good work!

[@oElmer]

As someone with an interest in computer science, this was probably your most fascinating story so far and I could swear each story is better than the last. Thank you so much, Andy.

[@XBOX1FLASH]

You should do more like this one, currently rn im binge watching these vids and this is by far the best one in my opinion. I just LOVE IT.

[@honeyjuice219]

imagine him telling his grandkids how he hacked the entire world and didn't go to jail for it

[@delamorerosa]

😂😂😂😂

[@SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans7648]

Morally as guilty as sin, however.

[@silverchaired]

I love this guy. I’m so happy that I get to watch his content everyday. Not only have I learnt so much, but I’ve also developed a love for researching things and learning about various different real life topics and dramas. Thank you Andy

[@bobdodson8468]

Thanks Andy. Another very interesting story and told so well. Your research and enthusiasm is impressive.

[@kenham6742]

Ransomware computer virus infected one of my computers years ago and it would not let me open my documents. It directed me to a website that told me it could fix the problem if I sent a payment! I enjoyed taking that worm apart, piece by piece myself, by simply looking at all the files that were created that day, and throwing them out, if I didn't recognize them. Everything that created itself that day was destroyed, by me! So many parts of the worm were missing, it no longer wriggle through my system, and I could access all my files again! No problems. No one should pay to get rid of ransomware. Shaking my head at hospitals who pay the multi-millions dollar ransom. Took me less than half an hour and I paid nothing.

[@Hopespringseternal]

Another great job with this one, Andy! Good reminder to never click on anything. Poor guy!

[@Atlas.23]

I've heard of this virus before, but I never knew the lore ran this deep.

[@czeianamiguel5543]

Same💀

[@ActionalGuy]

Idk why but this guy is the most entertaining guy I’ve ever seen

[@heidivaliev3706]

Absolutely fantastic video, Andy! Thank you so much for sharing it.😊

[@extracelestial9527]

Other story tellers on YT have pigeonholed themselves by only talking about crime or ghosts...etc. Andy hasn't made that mistake because he mixes it up a lot. I really appreciate Andy's style of storytelling the most. Even better than Mr. Ballen.

[@conniewhall3109]

So, Andy, please go into more detail on how everyone, everywhere were able to fix this virus for them selves. Btw, love your style and content. You make a great difference, Andy. Yep. And stinkin' cute, as well.

[@ToyTiger666]

Excellent video that gave me much more info on something I only heard of little b4. Severely underrated. Way to go, Mr. Jiang!

[@bxxsta]

Ima listen to this during the day cuz I'm done with school

[@super_koi_fish]

I’m literally doing the same rn

[@kristineandres1093]

Bro I'm glad you mentioned our most talented hacker, Onel de Guzman

[@boranim21]

Finally, the video I am waiting every Wednesday! Thanks Andy 🥰

[@blukitten3400]

This guy is actually really good at telling stories, it got me interested and intrigued so I subscribed immediately haha

[@bartman156.]

I remember being told about this virus a long time ago but today is when I heard the full story. Thank you.

[@asasipogi]

WTF??? For decades we have been told that the maker of the virus was not captured and is working in the highest tech company, or CIA or something in the USA. I'm sad that thedude is now just a cellphone repairman... I wonder why his offers didnt go well... Andy this is Gold, pls never stop this series

[@maikaymtgmng7612]

he's a pro tech now in quiapo

[@dareeldmt9310]

I always look forward to hearing your stories, keep up the good work.

[@harazhangf5782]

Quite an interesting story. I feel sad for the guy. But when you refered to the 2000's as "Back then" and "at the time" oh god I felt old.

[@glenjennett]

It sounds like a good thing that it happened and happened before the internet was as popular as it is now. Viruses like this are a good thing because it shows where our vulnerabilities are and teaches us to better protect ourselves in the future. It didn't actually cause any harm physically to anyone. Computers can either be fixed or replaced, but no one actually got hurt.

[@maryschuster847]

Andy you’re a great story teller!!! You find so many unusual stories! 😀

[@looniemoonie5955]

This is crazy how Internet makes people connected and supposed to make us feel less lonely... yet this virus worked so well, which only further proves that we're still VERY lonely and secretly hope to meet someone that would make this life at least bearable.

[@mskittysraiinbowpass]

I didn't even know about this. I just learned about this by watching leave the world behind .So I researched it and now I'm here. Thanks for explaining everything

[@NathanielTello-vq2sv]

I love these videos please keep making more I am a huge fan of u keep up the good work

[@kicks1975]

Love the way this was told! Thank you for a well narrated story 💕

[@kathykat367]

Great story...but.....did he ever graduate? I mean, his thesis was proved.

[@andyyjiang]

he never did graduate unfortunately, I guess by that point, but if I recall correctly it may have his own decision to not go back to school. maybe because of the trauma he experienced from this incident :(

[@kathykat367]

@@andyyjiang Sad, his life could have been different. I don't think he was malicious.

[@maryl1785]

Love your stories, Andy!

[@BarbaraKelley347]

Andy, you’re awesome! Love love love this channel. You are a great storyteller. ❤️🙏👍

[@AmericaTown]

Always looking forward to these every week!

[@jdud3579]

Wow i didn't know that one of our people createe a world wide virus.... Another Fascinating Story Andy... You have grown so much as a creator

[@realglo]

Seen one Instagram reel of u and was binge watching them this is the first KZbin vid I’ve watched and I’m hooked your a great content creator keep going

[@JACKBOOT12]

Dude pretty much broke the early internet what a legend

[@Moon_WielderYT]

Thanks for this! It was awesome!! Thanks Andy!!❤

[@Lugabae1]

Using this for my speech, wish myself luck

[@i_jerk_off_to_jfk]

ik this comment is a lil old but i hope it went well bro

[@privateprivate5302]

I remember the hubbub about the 'I Love you ' virus. Thanks for giving is the story behind it!😊 That was Awesome 😎👍

[@veganmomma24b21]

Wow ! Thank you. I recall my computer being infected with this horrific virus.

[@x0_alex_0x91]

Thank you for slowing down your voice :)) I really appreciate it. This one was wonderful story. i love your work

[@That_randomSwiftie]

Andy is the best informative youtber why isn’t he as famous as pewdiepie? This guy’s stuff is incredible!

[@BarneyAtAldiALT]

I love your long form content please keep making more

[@NT-qc8jp]

Love your stories. Your voice is soothing.

[@pla6454]

I love your content, respect to you brother.

[@heroknaderi]

Wow and that virus was devastating. I enjoyed the video. 😎 also corious will windows 7 be vonuabke

[@GoldendoodleBaxter]

This story was wild. I feel bad for Guzman, as he didn’t intend for the computer virus to spread around the world. Once again, fantastic storytelling Andy, hope to see more! 👍

[@Nuuuuuum]

SPOILERS

[@mr.slimeyt]

I think he meant it to spread but not to damage the computer

[@leslieo5947]

Thanks Andy...great story

[@JANRIEL]

Lots of hard work to create this video.I admire you man..Subbed.

[@realteamwall]

in 26 seconds you completely changed my perspective of the i love you virus its not a virus its kindness people still do something similar to it in a manual way

[@bushelandpeck1501]

🎶Lookin' 👁👄👁 for love 💖 in all the wrong places 🔥🎶

[@lostboy8084]

Just subscribed this guy has a great storytelling ability.

[@tovethecat]

Yeah it was the first computer virus in the Philippines, I think I know cause sometimes people say “can you google what was the first computer virus in the Philippines” and the answer would be “I love you” and it is a way to send a cute message to your loved one

[@AbrahamUtrera-t7p]

AFAIK, the first virus locally created by a particulat group of Filipinos in PH was "cbrain" way back in 1986 kung hindi ako nagKamali.

[@amandawalski4407]

I'm loving this! ❤🤗

[@juang1one]

Great vid bro...meanwhile while this hapend we were running Novel Groupwise and smoking a nice cigar with our feet on our desks...😎

[@karson277]

What a good story enjoyed it a lot!

[@Inderastein]

As a Filipino: Filipino pride contains: [A lot of of stuff] The ILOVEYOU virus and it's story Yeahhhh um if you think we hate him, his program is one of the only few biggest titans to become popular in the internet outside of the Philippines, so it becomes a beacon.

[@rhapout]

Andy hasn't reached the time when people are charged to use the internet per hour. Man I'm old 😭

[@tocaizo]

My Dad worked at the airport way back in 2000, When the virus got popular he tested it on one of the airport computers! He found every single bank account and tons of info. I’m glad he didn’t do anything bad with it. He still works there :D and its fun! Also, the airport was Toronto Pearson Airport in Canada

[@ljenk5]

Thanks Andy 👍

[@lavenderflowersfall280]

Oh my God... You got me shaking. 😳

[@Tahim4o1]

This was very educational thanks

[@k.ferguson2982]

How could he not know this was a bad idea, when in his own thesis summary, he used words like "steal" and victim" ?

[@rodneyrodriguez611]

The "I LOVE YOU" bug.. lol. I got that on my beeper!! Lol I was wondering what that text was!😅

[@TonyAnnechino]

Just discovered @WhiteBatAudio because of your closing music. 💙 Also, cool story bro. 😎 (And I mean that!)

[@kuttfam0191]

Great story!

[@GoldenBladedPhoenix]

Love your stuff

[@ethanbailley4408]

Absolute genius

[@neverendingjourneystilllea5271]

Thanks

[@medhanshjani]

Did the internet actually become free after this or was someone else responsible? It would make a great follow up for this right? Especially if Onel had a part in it?

[@johnnyearp52]

No, the internet is not usually free. In my country you can often use the internet for free at the public libraries though.

[@pinkdarkman]

Are you a minor? The internet isn't free lol. Well, I say this even though I do live somewhere where Google Fiber has a free internet plan that I use. I don't think this had anything to do with the virus though, lol, and also I live in an expensive city so it's probably not helping any actual poor people.

[@mr.slimeyt]

Maybe it got cheaper

[@jayaristonlim4244]

Antivirus companies should hire him😊❤️

[@PhilipPaxton]

Keep up thr good content Andy

[@onuhrita5009]

Nice story, was never really an interest in computer but your narration helps!

[@quinnruss5541]

Asian parents: look at your cousin Andy! Why can’t you be more like him?

[@ZtheTaco]

Bro says “I hope you enjoyed this week’s story” when he rly should be saying ”I KNOW you enjoyed this week’s story”

[@Cynical_GTT]

This is a weird one how to feel, he did a great thing but also a bad thing ( unintentionally) he takes this W

[@zappababe8577]

I wouldn't click on something called "I love you" unless it came from either my BF or my daughter.

[@Mezzeric]

Love it.

[@ZGsoccer7]

Great video