What kind of damage can a worm inflict on a network?

• A. Corrupting system files
• B. Using up system and network resources
• C. Allowing remote access to hackers
• D. Stealing personal information

Answer: (B)

A worm is a type of malware designed to replicate itself and spread across networks. One of its primary characteristics is its ability to use up system and network resources. As a worm spreads, it often consumes bandwidth and can significantly slow down network traffic, leading to degraded performance or even network outages. This resource consumption happens because worms create multiple instances of themselves, actively seeking to infect other machines, thereby burdening network infrastructure and affecting available resources on infected systems.

In contrast, while worms might indirectly lead to other issues, such as corrupt file systems or being used as a gateway for remote access, those activities are not the primary damage caused by the worm itself. The most immediate and direct impact of a worm is its ability to replicate and deplete system and network resources, making option B the most accurately representative of the worm's primary method of inflicting damage on a network.