Virus: It’s a bug that makes people feel bad. Worm: Unless one is baiting a fishhook, it connotes a slimy, squirming underground dweller (or it’s an insult to a particularly unsavory person). Trojan horse: It was an apparent gift, the acceptance of which led to the destruction of a civilization. None of these is a pleasant connotation.
If one precedes each word with the word “computer,” there’s no ambiguity: These are harmful things. Computer viruses, worms and trojans can infect a system or network and destroy data, leak sensitive information, overload processors and bring productivity to a screeching halt. And if a lawyer is handling a client’s electronically stored information for litigation purposes, she may well be putting the firm’s entire information technology infrastructure at risk.
