Re: MacOSX worm

On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 09:40:29 -0600, Kevin O'Brien
<kobrien@solutionscxo.com> wrote:
> If it has no way of self propagating then it cannot be called a worm and is
> more accurately classified as a virus.  Yes it can be spread by file sharing
> as any other virus can.  What makes worms unique is the ability to spread
> without user intervention.

This is a defiinition of worm that I am not familiar with. I have
always used Dr Vesselin Bontchev's definition:

"Programs which are able to replicate themselves (usually across computer
networks) as stand-alone programs (or sets of programs) and which do not
depend on the existence of a host program are called computer worms.
In some aspects, worms can be considered a special case of viruses. For
instance, if under the term "host program" in the definition of the
computer virus we understand the whole programming environment of a
particular computer, then a worm is simply a virus which infects this
environment."

- Bontchev, 1998

The last years the term "virus" has loosened up a bit from its first
usage (which was what we can call parasitic viruses) and now covers
all replicating programs. So, worms are a subset of viruses.


- Loote