Which term describes standalone malicious programs that replicate, execute, and spread across network connections independently?

Which term describes standalone malicious programs that replicate, execute, and spread across network connections independently?

• A. Worms
• B. Dharma
• C. SamSam
• D. JPS Virus Maker

Answer: (A)

Worms are standalone malicious programs that replicate, execute, and spread across network connections independently. They don’t need to attach to a host file or rely on user action to propagate; instead they exploit vulnerabilities or use other methods to scan for new targets and copy themselves onto them. This self-propagating, network-wide behavior is what sets worms apart from other malware types. Dharma and SamSam are known as ransomware families that encrypt files and demand ransom, not programs that automatically replicate across networks. JPS Virus Maker isn’t a recognized malware category for autonomous propagation, so it doesn’t fit the description.

Worms are standalone malicious programs that replicate, execute, and spread across network connections independently. They don’t need to attach to a host file or rely on user action to propagate; instead they exploit vulnerabilities or use other methods to scan for new targets and copy themselves onto them. This self-propagating, network-wide behavior is what sets worms apart from other malware types.

Dharma and SamSam are known as ransomware families that encrypt files and demand ransom, not programs that automatically replicate across networks. JPS Virus Maker isn’t a recognized malware category for autonomous propagation, so it doesn’t fit the description.