JavaScript Worms

JavaScript worms have a huge advantage over traditional computer viruses in that they are truly cross platform. JavaScript worms aren’t written in a compiled language that is dependent on a specific processor architecture or operating system. Instead, a JavaScript worm is written in a JavaScript that can operate on many different operating system and chip combinations. The worm’s code is interpreted into local instructions by the browser’s JavaScript interpreter. Thus, the same virus code can truly run on many platforms. Figure 13-4 shows how a single JavaScript worm can run on any operating system functioning on any computer architecture, provided that there is an interpreter written for that OS/processor combination.

Figure 13-4. A JavaScript worm can execute on any operating system running on any chip architecture, provided that there is a JavaScript interpreter available for that OS/processor combination.