Worm

nounid 4692·updated May 9, 2026
candidate

A self-replicating, self-propagating, self-contained program that uses networking mechanisms to spread itself. See Malicious Code.

Classifications

Entity Type

Threat90%rule-basedr:entity.threat.attack.v1

Sensitivity

unclassified

Information Class

unclassified

Variants

plural
Worms
possessive
Worm's
pluralpossessive
Worms'

Framework definitions

SANS Glossary of Security Terms1 senseview framework →
§1
A computer program that can run independently, can propagate a complete working version of itself onto other hosts on a network, and may consume computer resources destructively.
National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS) Cybersecurity Lexicon1 senseview framework →
§1
A self-replicating, self-propagating, self-contained program that uses networking mechanisms to spread itself.
ISACA Cybersecurity Glossary1 senseview framework →
§1
A programmed network attack in which a self-replicating program does not attach itself to programs, but rather spreads independently of users’ action
Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) IT Examination Handbook Infobase, Glossary1 senseview framework →
§1
A self-replicating malware computer program. It uses a computer network to send copies of itself to other nodes (computers on the network) and it may do so without any user intervention. This is primarily because of security vulnerabilities on the target computers.
NISTIR 7298: Glossary of Key Information Security Terms, Revision 21 senseview framework →
§1
A self-replicating, self-propagating, self-contained program that uses networking mechanisms to spread itself. See Malicious Code.
CNSSI-4009 (Glossary of Information Assurance Terms)1 senseview framework →
§1
A self-replicating, self-propagating, self-contained program that uses networking mechanisms to spread itself. See Malicious Code.

Outgoing relationships

No outgoing triples
This term is not the subject of any RDF-style relationship yet.

Incoming relationships

No incoming triples
No other term currently asserts a relationship to this one.