What is the difference between viruses and other types of malicious code?
Viruses: A virus is a program that makes copies of itself and spreads by attaching itself to a host, often damaging the host in the process. Since the 1990s, most viruses are macro viruses written specifically for the Windows environment to infect files by exploiting vulnerabilities in Word and Outlook. Famous examples include Klez, Melissa and Sobig. Worms: A worm is similar to a virus in that in replicates itself however, unlike a virus, it is self contained and does not need to attach itself to an executable program. Worms delete files and crash computers or servers by using up all resources. Famous examples include CodeRed and Blaster. Trojans: A trojan is a stand-alone program that does not attach to another program and does not move from one computer to another on its own. The word is derived from the classical myth of the Trojan Horse where Greek soldiers gained access to Troy in a giant wooden horse. Trojans are often used as keyloggers to capture passwords and financial inform
