What describes the behavior of a worm?

A worm is a type of malware specifically designed to self-replicate and spread independently across networks without requiring any user intervention. This characteristic distinguishes worms from other types of malware, such as viruses, which typically need a host file and user action to propagate. The ability to autonomously exploit vulnerabilities in operating systems or applications allows worms to quickly infect vulnerable devices in a network, making them especially dangerous.

The autonomous nature of worms means they can operate with minimal oversight, potentially causing widespread damage and consumption of bandwidth as they replicate and transmit themselves to new targets. This behavior is crucial in understanding the threat posed by worms in cybersecurity, highlighting the need for robust network defenses and regular updates to software to mitigate such vulnerabilities.