The 1999 email virus written by David Lee Smith and named after a Florida dancer was Melissa.
Melissa spread through Microsoft Word documents attached to email messages. When a recipient opened the infected document with macros enabled, the virus could email itself to addresses in the user’s Microsoft Outlook address book, rapidly multiplying across workplaces.
Smith reportedly named the virus after a dancer he had encountered in Florida. The outbreak began in March 1999 and caused major email congestion, leading some organizations to shut down mail systems temporarily. Smith later pleaded guilty to federal charges and received a prison sentence, probation, and a fine.
Melissa is often confused with later email worms such as ILOVEYOU, which appeared in 2000 and used a different script-based mechanism. Melissa’s importance lies in how it combined social engineering, document macros, and address-book automation to turn ordinary office software into a distribution channel.