CompTIA ITF+ Practice Test 2025 - Free CompTIA ITF+ Practice Questions and Study Guide

The type of malware designed to replicate itself and spread to other systems is a virus. A virus attaches itself to legitimate programs or files and, when executed, can replicate itself by attaching to other files or programs on the same or different systems. This replication often occurs without the user's knowledge, allowing the virus to spread as files and programs are shared or transferred across networks. The destructive capabilities of a virus can range from causing minor disruptions to major system failures, depending on its design and intent.

In contrast, spyware is meant to gather information about a user or system without their knowledge, often for malicious purposes. Ransomware is specifically designed to encrypt files and demand a ransom for their release, and adware primarily displays unwanted advertisements, often to generate revenue for its creator. While all these types of malware pose threats to users and systems, their primary functionalities differ significantly from that of a virus, which is primarily focused on self-replication and spreading.