What differentiates a computer worm from a traditional computer virus?

What differentiates a computer worm from a traditional computer virus?

• A. It self-propagates without human action
• B. It requires a user to execute the program
• C. It can only spread via USB devices
• D. It cannot propagate over networks

Answer: (A)

Worms differ from traditional viruses mainly in how they spread. A worm is a self-contained program that can propagate to other systems by exploiting network vulnerabilities or trusted services, without requiring any human action. This automatic spreading is what allows worms to move rapidly across networks. In contrast, traditional viruses typically rely on infecting legitimate files and usually need a user to execute the infected program or perform some action that runs the code. They don’t automatically leap across machines the way worms do. The other statements miss this fundamental point: worms can spread over networks, and they are not limited to USB devices or dependent on user execution.

Worms differ from traditional viruses mainly in how they spread. A worm is a self-contained program that can propagate to other systems by exploiting network vulnerabilities or trusted services, without requiring any human action. This automatic spreading is what allows worms to move rapidly across networks.

In contrast, traditional viruses typically rely on infecting legitimate files and usually need a user to execute the infected program or perform some action that runs the code. They don’t automatically leap across machines the way worms do. The other statements miss this fundamental point: worms can spread over networks, and they are not limited to USB devices or dependent on user execution.