If you install these updates on your computer, the majority of worms won’t be able to infect it.
WIN WORM VIRUS SOFTWARE
Worms currently make up almost 8% of all detected malware as shown in reports in early 2011, coming third after the widely spread Trojan infections (almost 70% of all known infections) and traditional viruses (16% of all detected infections), as shown in the following chart.īecause worms spread by exploiting vulnerabilities in operating systems, software vendors supply regular security updates. It was first detected in November 2008and since then it has spread rapidly into what is now believed to be the largest computer worm infection since the 2003 SQL Slammer, with more than seven million computers infected in over 200 countries. A very common payload for worms is installing a backdoor which can later be exploited by other malware, allowing the worm author to take control over infected computers.Ĭonficker, also known as Downup/Downadup, is a computer worm targeting the Microsoft Windows operating system. A “payload” is a piece of code typically designed to do damage - it might delete files on your PC, encrypt files in an extortion attack, or attach itself to your outgoing e-mail. Other worms, however, carry a so-called "payload". Many worms have been created only to spread and do not attempt to mess up the computers they pass through. It is common for worms to be noticed only when their uncontrolled replication consumes considerable system resources, slowing down or halting other tasks. They often hide in parts of operating systems that are automatic and usually invisible to you. Worms typically exploit vulnerabilities in operating systems and spread through e-mail or other file transmission capabilities found on networked computers. In the most extreme cases, worms have affected computer networks worldwide and drastically slowed down the Internet. Some worms can send themselves to everyone in your e-mail address book - and then to everyone in their e-mail address books, making them capable of spreading to millions of computers within hours. Instead, it can spread copies of itself from one computer to another without being activated by users. An essential guide on computer worms and how they actually workĪ computer worm is similar to a computer virus, but unlike a virus it does not need to attach itself to an existing program.