<networking, security> (From "Tapeworm" in John Brunner's novel "The Shockwave Rider", via XEROX PARC) A program that propagates itself over a network, reproducing itself as it goes. Compare virus. Nowadays the term has negative connotations, as it is assumed that only crackers write worms.
Perhaps the best-known example was the Great Worm.
Compare Trojan horse.
(1996-09-17)
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Nearby terms: World Wide Web Consortium « World-Wide Web Worm « WORM « worm » wormhole » wormhole routing » WOSA
