A program which illicitly propagates itself on a local system and network, consuming disk space, bandwidth, and other resources. The line between worms and viruses is often blurred - if a malicious program does nothing but try to copy and spread itself then it usually is referred to as a worm instead of a virus.
A virus designed to alter data in memory or on disk.
A computer program which replicates itself. The Internet worm (The Internet Worm) was perhaps the most famous; it successfully (and accidentally) duplicated itself on systems across the Internet.
An unwanted application that duplicates itself (like a virus) but does not have usually do the same amount of damage as a virus. Where a virus might erase a hard drive, a worm copies itself until the hard drive or RAM is completely filled.
Among other definitions, a robotic indexing program creating a database which can be accessed or keyword-searched over the Web.
A destructive virus that does not infect other programs, but does make copies of itself infecting additional computers on network connections. Like all viruses, worms can destroy programs and files.
worm n. [from `tapeworm' in John Brunner's novel "The Shockwave Rider", via XEROX PARC] A program that propagates itself over a network, reproducing itself as it goes. Compare virus. Nowadays the term has negative connotations, as it is assumed that only crackers write worms. Perhaps the best-known example was Robert T. Morris's Great Worm of 1988, a `benign' one that got out of control and hogged hundreds of Suns and VAXen across the U.S. See also cracker, RTM, Trojan horse, ice. Source: The Jargon File
Worm has two widely different definitions. One refers to a computer virus and ...
A program that makes copies of itself; for example, from one disk drive to another, or by copying itself using email or another transport mechanism. The worm may do damage and compromise the security of the computer. It may arrive in the form of a joke program or software of some sort.
This is a software program, benign or malignant, that is capable of reproducing itself and spreading over a network.
A worm is a harmful program, similar to a virus. Instead of attaching itself to an email or program, it travels across computer networks. It may cause damage to the computers on the network and affect computer performance.
A program that erases data and/or programs from a computer system's memory, usually with malicious intent.
A program that replicates itself over networked computers. Different from a virus in that a virus may only be programmed to infect multiple files on one computer, and is spread by copying those files.
a computer program which replicates itself and is self-propagating. Worms, as opposed to viruses, are meant to spawn in network environments. Beware the Ides of March.
A program that makes copies of itself, for example from one disk drive to another, or by copying itself using email or some other transport mechanism. Recent worms have traveled by sending themselves to all the addresses in an infected users email address book.
A computer program or "virus" that reproduces itself and may destroy the files on a computer.
A program that reproduces itself by creating copies of itself and worming its way into alien operating systems. The infamous Internet worm infiltrated several thousand Unix systems in 1988.
A malicious, self-replicating program that spreads exponentially throughout a network, but does not attach itself to an object on the computer system. (See " virus.")
A worm is a computer virus. It makes copies of itself, and then infects additional computers on the network. A worm might alter, install, or destroy files and programs.
not a virus but like a virus. An email Worm is an email messages that gets itself mailed out to multiple recipeints without your permission.
An independent program that reproduces by copying itself in full-blown fashion from one computer to another, usually over a network. Unlike a virus, it usually doesn't modify other programs.
A subclass of virus. A worm generally spreads without user action and distributes complete copies (possibly modified) of itself across networks. A worm can consume memory or network bandwidth, thus causing a computer to stop responding.
(1) malicious code that breaks into other computers and starts itself running with no human intervention, and subsequently atttempts to break into more computers from the newly infected one; (2) malware that self-propagates by emailing copies of itself from computers it has already infected (this one requires human intervention -- opening the attachment -- and so is often called a virus).
A program that is designed to replicate itself over a network. Although not all worms are designed to destroy anything, most of them will try to attack your resources.
"Malware" that spreads directly by copying itself onto other computers through security holes in the other computers' software. The earliest worm used a security flaw in Sun Microsystems' Solaris systems and in VAX systems, but current worms all use flaws in Microsoft Windows. Contrast this with "virus."
Program that focuses mainly on networks. It is able to multiply and even reproduce through the net. Networks and computers are getting 'full', and in the end they crash.
A worm is a virus that will make a copy of itself in the form of a file and spread through systems that are connected, whether it is the Internet or a company network, and ultimately causing damage to each infected system.
Similar to a virus in that it makes copies of itself, but differ in that it need not attach to particular files or sectors at all. Once a worm is executed, it seeks other systems - rather than parts of systems - to infect, then copies its code to them.
A program that distributes multiple copies of itself within a system or across a distributed system.
A malicious, self-replicating program that can spread through a network independent of other programs or files, and without any user action.
Computer program that copies itself into other host computers across a network. In 1988 the Internet Worm infected several thousand hosts.
Independent program that replicates from machine to machine across network connections often clogging networks and information systems as it spreads.
A specific type of virus that situates itself in a place in a computer where it can do harm. Viruses by definition are not necessarily harmful but worms are usually always harmful.
Worms are network viruses, primarily replicating on networks. Usually a worm will execute itself automatically on a remote machine without any extra help from a user. However, there are worms, such as mass-mailer worms, that will not always automatically execute themselves without the help of a user.
A virus capable of replicating itself between and across networks, often capable of using multiple means to so do. E-mailing worms can contain their own SMTP engine, while internal replication can be attempted via file-sharing, etc.
an independent program that can travel from host to host across a network
Worms are programs that replicate themselves from system to system without the use of a host file. This is in contrast to viruses, which requires the spreading of an infected host file. Although worms generally exist inside of other files, often Word or Excel documents, there is a difference between how worms and viruses use the host file. Usually the worm will release a document that already has the "worm" macro inside the document. The entire document will travel from computer to computer, so the entire document should be considered the worm. W32.Mydoom.AX@mm is an example of a worm.
A program that makes copies of itself elsewhere in a computing system. These copies may be created on the same computer, or may be sent over networks to other computers.
A self-propagating computer virus embedded in a file.
a malicious program designed to corrupt an information system or operating system. The worm propagates and exists independently. It does not have to attach to another program or part of the operating system to propagate, unlike a virus. (p. 143)
A self-replicating program that uses network connections and email to send copies of itself and hence create more copies at the new location. more.
A type of malware; a worm is a self-replicating program similar to a virus. The difference between a virus and a worm is that a worm does not attempt to conceal itself in other programs, but is a stand-alone program. As of mid-2004, instances of worms written for mobile telephones have emerged, focusing on distribution via Bluetooth Wi-Fi connections. Given the popularity of mobile telephones, it is likely that the number of telephone worms may increase.
Virus program designed to copy itself repeatedly in memory or on a disk drive until no memory or disk space remains. 13.3
A subclass of virus, a worm will copy itself without user interaction, while a virus needs to piggyback on another program.
A computer program which replicates itself and is self-propagating. Worms, as opposed to viruses, are meant to spawn in network environments. Worms are usually designed to slow down a network, or even crash it.
A computer programming code propagate via networked communications.
A type of virus that can replicate itself, and does not require human aid in order to spread. That means worms can quickly and easily multiply, sending out hundreds or even thousands of copies of themselves.
A malware program that copies itself from computer to computer via communications links and usually attempts either to steal information from or install back-door access facilities on the infected computer. The communications traffic associated with a worm may cause a problem in itself.
Computer Worms are viruses that reside in the active memory of a computer and duplicate themselves. They may send copies of themselves to other computers over the Internet, for example taking advantage of security loopholes in computer operating systems, as seen with the Sasser virus. Sorry, there are no definitions for this glossary page. Please select another from above. Sorry, there are no definitions for this glossary page. Please select another from above.
An independent program which can travel from computer to computer across network connections replicating itself in each computer. They do not change other programs, but compromise a computer system through their impact on system performance. See: bomb, trojan horse, virus.
Is an independent program that replicates itself, crawling from machine to machine across network connections. It often clogs networks as it spreads -- often via e-mail.
A computer program that replicates itself and is self-propagating. While viruses are designed to cause problems on a local system and are passed through boot sectors of disks and through files, worms are designed to thrive in network environments. Network worms were first defined by Shoch & Hupp of Xerox in ACM Communications (March 1982). The most famous (or infamous) worm was the Internet Worm of November 1988. It successfully propagated itself on over 6,000 systems across the Internet.
A type of virus that can replicate itself over a computer network, usually performing malicious actions, such as using up computer resources and possibly shutting the system down.
a general term that refer to viruses spread via computer networks. They may be installed by spreading infected files on a networked disk drives that are mapped over a local area network. They also are spread via network exploits that are inherent security flaws in your programs or operating system which allows code to executed and your system to be exploited and infected.
Malicious code that is often spread through an executable attachment in an email message.
a program that spreads from computer to computer over the net, usually doing something nasty at the same time
A destructive software program that enters a computer or LAN, often by the Internet, that replicates itself over and over, filling up disk space.
A type of virus that replicates itself.
A type of virus that is capable of replicating itself many times over.
A worm is a virus that does not usually infect other programs but does make copies of itself and infects additional computers.
A program that enters a computer and replicates itself, often causing damage to the system.
Malware that can spread itself without touching existing applications. Usually it's a stand-alone piece of code.
A malicious piece of code which crawls through computer networks self-replicating itself, and causing trouble by launching damaging actions or simply clogging up the network by its presence. Keep your anti-virus software up to date and download Windows security updates to keep worms away.
A computer program that replicates itself and is self-propagating. Worms, as opposed to viruses, are designed for network environments.
A self-replicating, self-contained computer program that may destructively consume computer resources.
code deliberately introduced into a computer in order to perform an action different from and contrary to that intended by the user
A virus that spreads by creating duplicates of itself on other drives, systems, or networks.
Software which is capable of reproducing and transmitting itself to other computers, automatically (unlike a virus). Worms may accidentally or deliberately damage or cause problems on the infected computer. Anti-virus software can be used to scan for and remove worms.
Worms are parasitic computer programs that replicate, but unlike viruses, do not infect other computer program files. Worms can create copies on the same computer, or can send the copies to other computers via a network. Worms often spread via IRC (Internet Relay Chat).
a virus that replicates itself on other computers.
Similar to a virus, but different
A piece of malicious code delivered via an executable attachment in email or over a computer network and which spreads to other computers by automatically sending itself to every email address on a recipient's contact list or address book. See virus.
A computer program that can run independently, can propagate a complete working version of itself onto other hosts on a network, and may consume computer resources destructively.
A worm is a self replicating program that spreads from computer to computer across a company network, the internet or via e-mail. While doing this it uses the computers resources, slowing it down, and the network bandwidth. They can also have a variety of capabilities and effects, such as a denial of service. Famous examples of worms re SQL Slammer and MS Blaster.
A malicious program introduced into computers by stealth, similar to a virus.
A program that replicates itself destroying the memory and using up the computer's resources and eventually, it will shut the computer down. http://www.techweb.com/encyclepedia/defineterm?term=WORM&exact=1
are self replicating programs that tie up computer and network resources, and are easily transmitted to other computers in the same way that viruses are spread.
A computer program which replicates itself and is self- propagating. Worms, as opposed to viruses, are meant to spawn in network environments. Network worms were first defined by Shoch & Hupp of Xerox in ACM Communications (March 1982). The Internet worm of November 1988 is perhaps the most famous; it successfully propagated itself on over 6,000 systems across the Internet. See also: Trojan Horse, virus.
1. An insidious and usually illegal computer program that is designed to replicate itself over a network for the purpose of causing harm and/or destruction. While a virus is designed to invade a single computer's hard drive, a worm is designed to invade a network. The most infamous worm was created by Robert Tappan Morris in November 1988; it infiltrated over 6,000 network systems around the globe. 2. Acronym for "Write Once Read Many". Used to describe optical disk drives that can only be written once, usually for archival purposes.
A program that duplicates itself repeatedly, potentially worming its way through an entire network. The Internet worm was perhaps the most famous; it successfully duplicated itself on many systems across the Internet.
A worm is a self-propogating virus.
A program or algorithm that replicates itself over a computer network and usually performs malicious actions, such as using a system's resources or shutting down a computer. Source: Webopedia
rite nce ead any depicts a write-once-read-many memory device that allows an author to store prepared files once into memory so that other users may read but not alter those files. Alternately WORM also depicts a computer program which replicates itself.
Not technically a virus, it is an annoying program that acts very much like one. Usually worms spread via e-mail or IRC/ chat sessions. Back to the top Back to the top
A self-replicating program that reproduces itself over a network. The most famous worm is the one created by Robert Morris at Cornell that shut down many unix computers on the Internet in 1988. Currently making the rounds is a Windows worm named happy99.exe (or Trojan-Happy99 or I-Worm.Happy) that masquerades as a fireworks show, replaces your wsock32.dll file, and sends copies of itself along with e-mail or news messages you post. For more on this and how to remove it, see the Symantec Anti-Virus Research Center Happy99 Worm page. See virus and Trojan horse.
A Virus that attaches itself to emails and spreads.
A computer program that endlessly replicates itself, sometimes sending itself out via e-mail address books. May cause damage by using up so many resources in replication.
A specific type of virus. Worms replicate and use memory, but cannot attach to other programs like viruses can.
A worm is a form of computer virus that does not infect other computer programs. It copies itself and connects to other computers thus infecting them. A worm can cause damage to files, software and computers if designed to do so.
Like a virus, a worm is a destructive program that replicates itself throughout disk and memory, using up the computers resources until it crashes. Worms can also be used to establish Denial of Service attacks that can bring down Web servers and their Websites. Also see the glossary definition of a virus and the mc² Virus Info page.
An infestation designed to copy itself repeatedly to memory on drive space or on a network until little memory or disk space remains.
Though often classed as one, a worm is not strictly a virus since they do not infect files. Worms propagate themselves over a network or the internet and can cause servers and networks to become overloaded. A common type of worm attaches itself to an email and when the attachment is opened it then tries to send a copy of itself to everyone in the users address book.
A piece of malicious code, often delivered via an attachment in email or over a computer network. Sorry, No Terms for this letter Sorry, No Terms for this letter
malicious program that spreads without having to attach itself to an email attachment
Often conflated with viruses, worms also are self-replicating programs; however, they propagate independently of user interaction, often through a shared or direct network connection. Worms may destroy data on individual machines, but mostly inflict their damage by siphoning users' bandwidth or shutting down their computers.
A worm is a special type of virus that can replicate itself and use memory, but cannot attach itself to other programs.
Self-replicating computer viruses. Unlike an ordinary virus, which depends on the transfer of a host file in order to replicate, a worm is an independent entity that usually spreads itself without needing a computer user to transfer a file. Most travel primarily by e-mail but some also spread through nontraditional means through the IRC, peer-to-peer networks, or even Web sites. Worms tend to spread very rapidly and can cause a lot of damage.
A worm is a virus that does not infect other programs. It makes copies of itself, and infects additional computers (typically by making use of network connections) but does not attach itself to additional programs; however a worm might alter, install, or destroy files and programs.
A cracker program that propagates itself over a network, reproducing itself as it goes. Unlike a virus, a worm doesn't need outside assistance to operate. Being autonomous makes a worm much more dangerous, but also much more difficult to control and anticipate. Worms typically crack into low-security computers via a common vulnerability and then turn the computers into zombies.
A program that replicates itself at other networked sites, typically for destructive purposes.
A program or algorithm that replicates itself over a computer network and usually performs malicious actions, such as using up the computer's resources and possibly shutting the system down, also see Virus .
A worm is similar in nature to a virus because it has also the property of self replication and has the ability to spread copies of itself from one computer to another. Unlike a virus, a worm can spread itself without being attached to a program.
A program that is designed to copy itself across a network.
Another term for a virus.
Malicious-logic program that copies itself repeatedly in memory or on a disk drive until no memory or disk space remains, causing the computer to stop working. 12.4 Wozniak, Stephen, 8.21, 11.5
This is similar to a virus, but it differs in that all it does is make copies of itself (or part of itself).
A worm is a virus that replicates itself and infects other computers typically by making use of network connections. A worm generally does not attach itself to additional programs but sometimes it alters, installs or destroy files and programs.
A computer worm is a self-replicating computer program, similar to a computer virus.
A program that infiltrates a computer system and copies itself many times, filling up memory and disk space and crashing the computer. The most famous worm of all time was released accidentally by Robert Morris over the Internet and brought down whole sections of the net.
program that spreads or copies itself from one computer to another without user intervention. Compare this to a virus that only spreads between files on a single computer. Viruses are small-time compared to the havoc that worms can create. Nowadays most malicious programs that you hear about are actually worms, even though software combating them still refers to itself as an anti-virus program. WORM
A destructive program that reproduces itself to the point where a computer or network can do nothing but manage the worm. Eventually, your computer memory or hard disk will fill up completely. Als ... more
A worm is a program that is very similar to a virus in that it can create copies of itself and it usually interferes with the normal functioning of your computer. The key difference is that a worm can exist without other files—it doesn't need a "host" program to spread. Some of the most famous worms replicated themselves through the use of e-mail forwarding macros.
Known primarily as a virus, a worm is a computer program that can replicate itself. First postulated by computer science researcher Fred Cohen in the '70s, computer viruses are small programs that propagate by attaching copies of themselves to other programs.
