Computer Worm facts
While investigating facts about Computer Worm Definition and Computer Worm Examples, I found out little known, but curios details like:
In 2003 a computer worm called ‘Welchia’ infected many computers to forcibly patch vulnerabilities and remove malware. It was regarded as a ‘helpful worm’
how computer worms spread?
There was a computer worm that would gain access to Windows XP systems, download a patch from Microsoft to close the vulnerability that it used to infect the system, attempt to delete the infamous Blaster worm (if present) from the system, then delete itself.
What computer worms?
In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across answering what is a worm in computer terms. Here are 16 of the best facts about Computer Worm Vs Virus and Computer Worms Team I managed to collect.
what computer worms do?
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The author of the first computer worm ever created was a student and it infected 6000 computers which was 10% of all computers connected to internet.
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In 2004, there were three major computer virus authors at "war" with each other. They were the Netsky, Bagle and Mydoom worms. Netsky was most famous for comments within the code insulting the authors of the other viruses and, in some cases, routines that removed versions of the other viruses.
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The US and Israeli gov't designed a 500KB computer worm that infected the software of at least 14 industrial sites in Iran, including a uranium-enrichment plant
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One of the first computer worms, the Morris worm, is believed to have caused significant damage only because of an error in the code in which its author overestimated the value of a variable, causing it to replicate much more quickly than intended.
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About Stuxnet, a computer worm developed by American/Israeli cyberweapon, which infected and ruined almost one fifth of Iran's nuclear centrifuges. Targeting industrial control systems, the worm infected over 200,000 computers and caused 1,000 machines to physically degrade.
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John Brunner, 1930s British Sci-fi author, is also credited with coining the term "worm" and predicting the emergence of computer viruses.
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Robert Tappan Morris created the first Internet Worm by accident trying to "Gauge the size of the Internet." He is the first to be convicted of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
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Stuxnet, a malicious computer worm which was designed to sabotage the centrifuges of an Iranian uranium enrichment facility. A report stated that it it is reasonable to say that Stuxnet destroyed up to 1000 centrifuges (10 percent) sometime between November 2009 and late January 2010.
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The Morris worm was one of the first computer worms distributed via the Internet (November 2, 1988).
Why computer worm is used?
You can easily fact check why are computer worms used by examining the linked well-known sources.
A Warhol Worm is a computer worm which can theoretically own much of the Internet in as little as 15 minutes
About the Stuxnet, a malicious computer worm first uncovered in 2010 by Kaspersky Lab. Stuxnet targets SCADA systems and was responsible for causing substantial damage to Iran's nuclear program. - source
The Anna Kournikova Computer Worm, a themed virus that lured users in with promises of nudes, then proceeded run a malicious VBScript. - source
