Which type of malware is self-replicating but must first infect a host program and be executed by a user or process?

Question

Options

• Avulnerability
• Bworm
• Cexploit
• Dvirus

• A
  9% (5)
• B
  86% (49)
• C
  4% (2)
• D
  2% (1)

Explanation

There appears to be an error in the provided answer key - the correct answer is actually D. Virus, not B.

A virus is the malware that is self-replicating, requires a host program to attach to, and depends on user or process execution to activate and spread. This "host dependency + execution trigger" combination is the defining characteristic that distinguishes viruses from other malware.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• A. Vulnerability - Not malware at all; it's a weakness in a system that malware may exploit.
• B. Worm - Self-replicating, but critically does not need a host program and spreads autonomously across networks without user interaction. This is the opposite of what the question describes.
• C. Exploit - A technique or code that takes advantage of a vulnerability; it's not self-replicating malware.

Memory tip: Think of a biological virus - it cannot reproduce on its own and must hijack a host cell. A computer virus works the same way: it latches onto a host file and waits to be "run." A worm, by contrast, is like a self-propelled organism - it needs no host and spreads on its own.

Note: If this question came from an official practice exam or study guide, the answer key contains a mistake. The description unambiguously matches a virus (host-dependent, execution-required), not a worm (host-independent, autonomous).

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