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Which malware is self-contained and spreads across a network on its own, without user action?

Worm, it replicates itself and spreads by itself.

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  1. A virus
  2. A Trojan horse
  3. A worm ✔

Why: A worm does not need a host file or a person to click anything. Network service worms exploit a vulnerable service to jump to the next host.

Huh, didn't know that: NIST divides worms into network service worms and mass mailing worms.

The dad joke
What eats laptops? Computer worms.
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References

Answer: A worm. A worm does not need a host file or a person to click anything. Network service worms exploit a vulnerable service to jump to the next host.

  1. NIST SP 800-83 Rev. 1, Guide to Malware Incident Prevention and Handling nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/SpecialPublications/NIST.SP.800-83r1.pdf
    A worm is a self-replicating, self-contained program that usually executes itself without user intervention.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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