Which of the following best characterizes a worm?

• A. A software program capable of reproducing itself that can spread from one computer to the next over a network
• B. A tool to monitor network traffic
• C. A word processor feature
• D. An encryption protocol

Answer: (A)

A worm is a self-replicating malware that can spread from one computer to another across a network without requiring user action. This self-propagating behavior across networked systems is what defines a worm, making it distinct from other types of malware that need a user to open a file or run a program. The description that mentions a software program capable of reproducing itself and spreading over a network directly captures this characteristic: it spreads automatically, leveraging network connections or vulnerabilities to move on to new hosts.

The other options describe things that aren’t malware: a tool to monitor network traffic is a network monitoring or sniffing utility, a word processor feature is simply an editing function, and an encryption protocol is a cryptographic method for securing data.