A computer worm is a form of software that can replicate and spread itself on a network, accessing other computers and devices connected to the infected host. Worms can be malware, often used by hackers to eat up bandwidth or manipulate files or programs on the system. Show
A worm is different from a virus in that it does not require the host system in order to replicate. Like a parasitic worm, it can act independently. It can replicate and spread without the need for human intervention, such as a shared file. One of the first computer worms was the Morris Worm, an experimental program written by Cornell University graduate student Robert Taptan Morris in 1988. Though Morris did not intend the worm to be malware, it soon spread out of control. It exponentially replicated and infected thousands of computers, slowing down networks and resulting in millions of dollars in damage. How do Computer Worms Work?Worms work independently of the host program they infect. Viruses will write their code into the host program and rely on it to execute the replication code. A worm, on the other hand, can simply copy itself to another device on the network and infect it. Worms are exponentially infective. If the first computer host for the worm produces two copies, those copies go on to infect two more computers. Those then go on to infect four computers, and so on. This means that a worm can very quickly spread — the most virulent worm on record, MyDoom, reportedly infected over four million emails, or 20% of all emails in circulation, within 36 hours. Worms can be actively or passively malicious. Since worms rely on network resources and bandwidth, they place a load on the network merely by existing. This results in a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on the network. Others can attack a network more directly by deleting files or corrupting software. The WannaCry ransomware worm, for example, encrypted victims’ files and demanded payment for the decryption key. Some worms, on the other hand, can be helpful in gauging network sizes and tracking vulnerabilities. The Welchia worm, for example, infected computers with a certain end-of-life Windows vulnerability and automatically downloaded security patches for that vulnerability, deleting itself after a certain period of time. Computer worms can come into contact with a computer in several different ways. Worms can hop over to other devices in the same network as an infected device. Worms can also infect computers through ads, emails, and websites containing malicious links and programs. The Impact of Computer WormsComputer worms have caused billions of dollars in damage, lost productivity, and corrupted data. WannaCry caused over $8 billion in damage and may have risked lives since it jeopardized hospitals’ patient record and ambulance routing systems. The most widespread worm attack currently known, 2008’s Conficker worm, infected over 9 million computers, causing millions of dollars to be lost to service disruption, and leaving scores of computers left vulnerable, since the worm disabled antivirus and firewall software. More recent worms are taking a step beyond disrupting service. One worm, dubbed “Graboid” in late 2019, used unsecured Docker hosts to hijack network resources and processing power to mine cryptocurrency. Preventing and Removing Computer WormsNetwork operators can protect against worms by following risk management and security best practices. This includes having a robust firewall, using monitoring software to detect attacks as soon as they occur, keeping security software up to date, and educating users on cybersecurity. Users should know not to visit malicious websites, download suspicious files, or open emails from unknown sources. IoT security is also crucial, especially since IoT devices are usually undersecured and worms are increasingly targeting networks through those device. Worms are generally self-contained files, which can make them difficult to remove. While antivirus software can generally remove older or more basic worms, advanced worms can hide within a file registry and back themselves up. This means that the only way to get rid of a worm may be to completely wipe the system. Therefore, having file backups is crucial to security. What is a Computer Worm: Key Takeaways
Updated September 2020 by Ashley Wiesner Which program can spread from one computer to another by self?A computer worm is a standalone malware computer program that replicates itself in order to spread to other computers. It often uses a computer network to spread itself, relying on security failures on the target computer to access it. It will use this machine as a host to scan and infect other computers.
Which of the following is a sample of code that spreads from one computer to another by attaching itself to other files?virus (computer virus) A computer virus is malicious code that replicates by copying itself to another program, computer boot sector or document and changes how a computer works. A virus spreads between systems after some type of human intervention.
Which can spread from computer to computer without any human action such as clicking on a file in an email attachment?A worm is a type of virus that can spread without human interaction. Worms often spread from computer to computer and take up valuable memory and network bandwidth, which can cause a computer to stop responding. Worms can also allow attackers to gain access to your computer remotely.
What is a Trojan in computer?Trojan horse malware is a file, program, or piece of code that appears to be legitimate and safe, but is actually malware. Trojans are packaged and delivered inside legitimate software (hence their name), and they're often designed to spy on victims or steal data.
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