Okuzeka
Cybersecurity vocabulary · Malware

Worm

Meaning in cybersecurity, with examples

/wɜːrm/nounCommon term

In cybersecurity, worm means: Malware that copies itself and spreads from one computer to another across a network without any action from the user.

In Turkish: solucan, worm

How it is used

Known for spreading very fast, often through an unpatched network service. A vulnerability is called 'wormable' when malware could use it to spread this way, which makes patching urgent.

Example sentences

  1. The worm spread to hundreds of machines through an old file-sharing service.

  2. The vendor rated the flaw as wormable, so we patched it the same day.

Common collocations

  • network worm
  • self-propagating worm
  • wormable vulnerability
  • worm outbreak
  • malwareShort for 'malicious software': any program written to damage systems, steal data, spy on users or take control of a device without permission.
  • virusA type of malware that attaches itself to a file or program and spreads to other files when that program is run.
  • patchA small update released by a vendor to fix a bug or close a security vulnerability in software, firmware or an operating system.
  • network segmentationDividing a network into separate zones, with controlled traffic between them, so that a problem in one part cannot easily spread to the others.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Malware

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