It’s time for another blog in our Viruses and Malware series – and today, we’re looking at worms – and not that sort of worm!
What are worms?
- Worms are one of the earliest forms of computer malware (and if you want to read more about the earliest form, you can read our introduction here ;)).
- It works by spreading copies of itself from computer to computer, often via email or the internet.
How do they do that?
- For example, email worms work by initially infecting the user’s computer by tricking them into clicking on a malicious file.
- Once infected the email worm will send copies of itself via email to every contact in the address book of the infected computer.
- Worms are normally scripts that edit the Windows registry so that they start up with the computer. Along with sending copies of itself to the victims’ contacts list, the worm will also replace user data (such as your pictures and documents) with copies of itself resulting in the loss of your files.
- Like Trojans, most forms of computer worms carry a payload that will act as a backdoor to the infected computer. This then allows the attacker access to that machine.
Thankfully, most computer worms are not that common anymore due to improved security features in operating systems.
Worried your home or business isn’t well enough protected against the threat of malware? We can help – give us a call on 01553 692727 to talk to one of our engineers and find out how we can help!