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This is a quick note to myself really, as a security professional I get asked these questions a lot, and sadly each time I forget a nice simple answer, well this is what I think:

What's the difference between a Virus and a Worm ?
A Virus is an application of malicious code.
A Worm is malicious code that can reproduce it's self.

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  • A Virus infects another application for propagation.
  • Worms are self propagating code.

What's the difference between spy-ware and malware ?
Spy-ware is hidden software specifically designed to monitor something without the user knowing ?
Malware is software posing as one thing, but with a hidden activity; so malware could cover both spy-ware and Trojans.

 

 
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