Worms

Internet worms are malicious software programs that self-propagate across a network and the Internet by infecting hosts and in some cases launching malicious activities. The infection occurs by exploiting network services or weaknesses and flaws in software design available on a host. A host that has been infected by a worm actively discovers and spreads a copy of the worm to other vulnerable hosts on the Internet. Unlike a virus that searches for files in a computer system to attach itself to or that requires some sort of user intervention for propagation, a worm has the ability to search for new targets and propagate itself across networks. Worms often cause harm to services and networks such as denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, espionage, eavesdropping, stealth, cyberwar, and ...