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EC-Council

112-52 · Question #172

Which of the following types of malware is specifically designed to replicate itself and spread to other computers?

The correct answer is A. Virus. A virus is defined by its self-replicating behavior - it attaches itself to legitimate programs or files and spreads to other systems when those files are shared or executed, making replication its core characteristic. B (Trojan) is wrong because a Trojan disguises itself as…

Attacks and Countermeasures

Question

Which of the following types of malware is specifically designed to replicate itself and spread to other computers?

Options

  • AVirus
  • BTrojan
  • CSpyware
  • DAdware

How the community answered

(61 responses)
  • A
    93% (57)
  • C
    5% (3)
  • D
    2% (1)

Explanation

A virus is defined by its self-replicating behavior - it attaches itself to legitimate programs or files and spreads to other systems when those files are shared or executed, making replication its core characteristic.

B (Trojan) is wrong because a Trojan disguises itself as legitimate software to trick users into running it, but does not self-replicate or spread on its own - it relies entirely on the user to propagate it.

C (Spyware) is wrong because its purpose is covert surveillance (capturing keystrokes, credentials, browsing habits), not self-replication or spreading.

D (Adware) is wrong because adware's goal is delivering unwanted advertisements, not reproducing itself across systems.

Memory tip: Think of a biological virus - it infects a host and replicates to spread. The malware "virus" mirrors this exactly. If replication/spreading is in the question, think virus.

Topics

#malware types#virus characteristics#replication and propagation#malware fundamentals

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