(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. [Jargon File] (1996-09-17)
