The MyDoom worm alone caused approximately $38.5 billion in economic damages when it first came out in 2004.
2Ĭomputer worms have caused billions of dollars in damages over the past few decades. In a controlled environment, researchers were able to weaponize a single smart bulb to spread a computer worm to neighboring Zigbee IoT devices.
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Installer downloads: Looking to pirate a software program? Be careful – phishy websites may offer downloadable software installers that are actually malware.Subsequently, infected removable drives can spread the worm when they are connected to different computers. Removable drives: A flash drive or a removable hard drive can get infected if plugged into an infected computer.Smartphones: Smartphones are ideal worm carriers because we tend to connect our phones to multiple Wi-Fi networks, which could accelerate the spread of worms.Instant messaging: Similar to malicious emails attachments, instant messages may be computer worms posing as harmless links or attachments.That’s why worms spread easily through such platforms. File-sharing platforms: Unless you know where it’s from, there’s really no way to tell if the file you’re downloading from a peer-to-peer file sharing platform contains malware.There are also worms that can make email programs such as Outlook send emails containing the malware to contacts autonomously. Emails: Have you ever received a suspicious email with a link or an attachment from a stranger? That’s how some hackers spread malware, including worms.Once a worm infiltrates a device, it can spread to other devices throughout the LAN. The internet: Most devices connect to the internet via a network, which is a convenient superhighway for computer worms to spread.Here are the most common ways a computer worm spreads: It can jump from one device to another through different means, be that an email attachment, malicious link, or local area network (LAN). 1 Trend Micro Logs Tab How a Worm SpreadsĪ computer worm takes advantage of system vulnerabilities to accelerate its spread. The infamous WannaCry worm (aka WannaCryptor) is an example.
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And because computer worms can spread like wildfire, hackers may design them to install backdoor programs, giving cybercriminals access to their target’s devices. Others modify or delete files, or even install additional malicious programs. Some simply self-replicate to the point that they eat up storage disk space and system memory, rendering your device unusable. Kaspersky Antivirus App Home Screen How Does a Computer Worm Work?Īs a type of malware, computer worms can do various harmful things to your devices. It self-replicates once it gets into your computer, smartphone, or tablet, which is why it’s one of the scariest types of malware. Its most distinct feature? Its ability to spread quickly without human interaction. By definition, a computer worm is a type of malware.
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