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Worms - What Are They and Why Should I Care?
A Worm is a computer program which replicates itself and is self-propagating. It can be acquired through e-mail attachments or without your knowledge by entering an open port on your internet connection. You will usually not even be aware that a Worm has infected your system until it has run its course, damaged your system, and sent copies of itself out to infect other computers.
A Worm is a type of virus that is usually associated with computer networks, but not always. They almost always do something malicious, such as consuming computer resources and freezing up processes. An infected computer will spread the Worm to all users on a network. It will replicate and send itself out on the internet to infect other internet users. Software such as Norton Anti-Virus can prevent the spread of worms and also helps to clean infected files if they are altered by the worm.
As mentioned, Anti-Virus programs are reasonably effective at killing Worms. Most of the Anti-Trojan programs are also effective at stopping Worms. Firewalls and routers can also be effective deterrents to Worms.
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