A computer virus attaches itself to a program or file so it can spread from one computer to another, leaving infections as it travels. Much like human viruses, computer viruses can range in severity: Some viruses cause only mildly annoying effects while others can damage your hardware, software or files. Almost all viruses are attached to an executable file, which means the virus may exist on your computer but it cannot infect your computer unless you run or open the malicious program. It is important to note that a virus cannot be spread without a human action, (such as running an infected program) to keep it going. People continue the spread of a computer virus, mostly unknowingly, by sharing infecting files or sending e-mails with viruses as attachments in the e-mail. A worm is similar to a virus by its design, and is considered to be a sub-class of a virus. Worms spread from computer to computer, but unlike a virus, it has the capability to travel without any help from a person. A worm takes advantage of file or information transport features on your system, which allows it to travel unaided. The biggest danger with a worm is its capability to replicate itself on your system, so rather than your computer sending out a single worm, it could send out hundreds or thousands of copies of itself, creating a huge devastating effect. One example would be for a worm to send a copy of itself to everyone listed in your e-mail address book. Then, the worm replicates and sends itself out to everyone listed in each of the receiver's address book, and the manifest continues on down the line. Due to the copying nature of a worm and its capability to travel across networks the end result in most cases is that the worm consumes too much system memory (or network bandwidth), causing Web servers, network servers and individual computers to stop responding. In more recent worm attacks such as the much-talked-about .Blaster Worm., the worm has been designed to tunnel into your system and allow malicious users to control your computer remotely. A Trojan horse is not a virus. It is a destructive program that looks as a genuine application. Unlike viruses, Trojan horses do not replicate themselves but they can be just as destructive. Trojans also open a backdoor entry to your computer which gives malicious users/programs access to your system, allowing confidential and personal information to be theft. Definition: A computer worm is a malicious, self-replicating software program (popularly termed as 'malware') which affects the functions of software and hardware programs. Description: It fits the description of a computer virus in many ways. For example, it can also self-replicate itself and spread across networks. That is why worms are often referred to as viruses also. But computer worms are different from computer viruses in certain aspects. First, unlike viruses which need to cling on to files (host files) before they can diffuse themselves inside a computer, worms exist as separate entities or standalone software. They do not need host files or programs. Secondly, unlike viruses, worms do not alter files but reside in active memory and duplicate themselves. Worms use parts of the operating system that are automatic and usually invisible to the user. Their existence in the system becomes apparent only when their uncontrolled replication consumes system resources, slowing or halting other tasks in the process. In order to spread, worms either exploit the vulnerability of the target system or use some kind of social engineering method to trick users into executing them. Once they enter a system, they take advantage of file-transport or information-transport features in the system that allows them to travel unaided. A computer worm called 'Stuxnet worm’ turned heads the world over recently when it attacked the nuclear facilities of Iran. This worm reportedly destroyed roughly a fifth of Iran's nuclear centrifuges by causing them to spin out of control by increasing the pressure on the spinning centrifuges, while displaying that everything was under control. It managed this feat by replaying the plant's protection system values in the control room while the attack was happening.
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It is a harmful program that resides in the active memory of the computer and duplicates itself.
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