What computer virus holds the record for being the most widespread computer virus?

The computer virus that holds the record for being the most widespread is the "ILOVEYOU" virus. This virus originated in the Philippines in 2000. It is estimated to have caused $10 billion in damages worldwide, and it is believed to have infected 10% of the world's Internet-connected computers at the time. Here are the steps of how it spread:

1. The virus was sent via email with the subject line "ILOVEYOU" and an attachment "LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.txt.vbs". The '.vbs' extension indicated that this was not a text file, but a Visual Basic script.

2. When the recipient opened the attachment, the script was executed. The virus would first overwrite files with itself on the user's computer, including system files, and then send a copy of itself to all addresses in the user's address book.

3. As the virus was sent to more people, it spread rapidly. Many corporate email systems were brought down by the sheer volume of ILOVEYOU emails.

4. The virus also downloaded a file that stole passwords and emailed them to the virus's creator.

The ILOVEYOU virus was so damaging because it exploited people's trust in their friends and colleagues. The virus's creator was eventually caught and charged, but the ILOVEYOU virus remains a potent reminder of the damage that can be done by computer viruses.