Computer Worms vs. Virus: Know the Difference

Has it ever occurred to you why your computer screen keeps freezing and its performance is lagging? Or why the pop-ups on websites are showing up, and the battery is draining? Have you ever wondered what might be wrong with your device? If yes, you must have suspected that your system has a virus or maybe a worm. But what’s the difference anyway? Viruses, worms, or other malware are all different from each other in many aspects. If you have ever encountered their signs on your device, you must have indulged in computer repair. But it is time to educate yourself and save some extra money that you usually spend on professional help. Let’s begin the discussion with Malware.

MALWARE

The umbrella term for malicious software, Malware attacks a computer’s files and harms the device’s system. It is often created to generate wealth for hackers by stealing and selling your personal data. Ransomware, spyware, the Trojan horse, and adware are different types of malware. Note that both worms and viruses are different forms of malware. While the worm is typically viewed as a subset of the computer virus, it operates differently.

WORM

A computer worm self-replicates and infects the network according to the vulnerabilities. It requires no human interaction and can scan for vulnerabilities very easily to exploit them. It will be exploiting your security holes, yet you wouldn’t know that your computer is infected with worms. Only when you connect to a Wi-Fi network can the worms spread to other computers connected to the network and keep spreading forth. Remember that the network worm can cause devastation for a vast group of computers and their owners across business, government, hospitals, and ultimately, the entire nation.

VIRUS

On the other hand, the viruses operate differently as they lie dormant within files until activated by human command. When you execute a script of a file, it begins self-replicating and spreading to finally infect many kinds of files. Since this malware behaves like a biological virus in the manner it spreads and attaches itself to its host, it is given the name ‘Virus.’

WORM vs. VIRUS

The key difference states that a computer worm and virus differ due to the cause of how they spread. Viruses need a human interaction that triggers their replication process. However, the worm doesn’t need any such trigger to act on. They simply detect the vulnerabilities within the system and spread more quickly than the average virus.

THE SPREADING PROCESS

Both forms of malware are spread through phishing emails or email attachments. They can also spread through downloads and external links that you receive via SMS messaging and other types of instant messaging. It’s just that worms can disperse very easily through shared networks and cause jeopardizing effects.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES

If you are afraid of losing your important information and files that you stored in your device, try preventing virus and worm attacks. To do so, it is important for you to have safeguards in place. And the right place to start from is to install antivirus software and firewalls. First, set reminders to update this software for patches would be best. Then, running routine analytics to detect bugs would be great. Note that setting up alerts will help you detect the possible threats in time. You need to be meticulous when opening attachments or downloading files from unknown sources.

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Created on Jul 30th 2021 04:18. Viewed 292 times.

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