Ethical Hacking: Techniques, Tools, and Countermeasures, 4th Edition

Worms

A worm is a completely different type of malware from a virus. Viruses require user intervention for their infection to take place, such as opening of a file or booting of a computer. In the case of worms, however, no user action is required. A worm is a self-replicating piece of software that combines the convenience of computer networks with the power of malware. Worms also differ from viruses in that viruses require a host program to stay resident, whereas worms do not and are self-contained. Worms also can cause substantially more harm than viruses, as the latter are typically limited to corrupting data and applications.

NOTE

Worms can cause alterations to or corruption of data on a system. They can also cause damage indirectly by ...