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GSLC · Question #156

What is the major difference between a worm and a Trojan horse?

The correct answer is C. A worm is self replicating, while a Trojan horse is not. The defining technical difference between a worm and a Trojan horse is that a worm self-replicates and spreads autonomously, while a Trojan horse does not replicate on its own.

Security Architecture & Engineering

Question

What is the major difference between a worm and a Trojan horse?

Options

  • AA worm is a form of malicious program, while a Trojan horse is a utility.
  • BA Trojan horse is a malicious program, while a worm is an anti-virus software.
  • CA worm is self replicating, while a Trojan horse is not.
  • DA worm spreads via e-mail, while a Trojan horse does not.

How the community answered

(49 responses)
  • A
    6% (3)
  • B
    2% (1)
  • C
    90% (44)
  • D
    2% (1)

Why each option

The defining technical difference between a worm and a Trojan horse is that a worm self-replicates and spreads autonomously, while a Trojan horse does not replicate on its own.

AA worm is a form of malicious program, while a Trojan horse is a utility.

A Trojan horse is a fully malicious program that causes harm after execution - it is not a legitimate utility, only disguised as one.

BA Trojan horse is a malicious program, while a worm is an anti-virus software.

Both worms and Trojan horses are malicious software; neither functions as antivirus software.

CA worm is self replicating, while a Trojan horse is not.Correct

A worm is malware that independently copies itself and propagates across networks or systems by exploiting vulnerabilities or network shares, requiring no host program or user-initiated spread. A Trojan horse, by contrast, disguises itself as legitimate or desirable software to trick a user into executing it, but lacks any self-replication mechanism. This autonomous propagation capability is the core technical distinction that separates worms from Trojans as malware categories.

DA worm spreads via e-mail, while a Trojan horse does not.

Worms spread through multiple vectors including network vulnerabilities, shared drives, and removable media - not exclusively email; Trojans can also be delivered as email attachments.

Concept tested: Self-replication distinguishing worms from Trojans

Source: https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/worm

Topics

#worm vs Trojan#malware classification#self-replication#malware types

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