Which of the following is a well-known macro virus?

• A. I Love You
• B. Stuxnet
• C. Conficker
• D. The Melissa virus

Answer: (D)

Macro viruses are infections that piggyback on macro scripting inside office documents, typically using VBA, to execute and propagate once a user enables macros. The Melissa virus became famous precisely because it used a Word macro to spread: it embedded malicious code in a Word document that, when opened and macros were enabled, automatically mailed copies of itself to people in the victim’s address book. This pattern—a document-based macro that propagates through email by exploiting the macro capability—is the hallmark of a macro virus, which is why Melissa is considered a well-known example.

In contrast, the other options don’t fit the macro-virus category. I Love You spread as a script-worm via email attachments rather than through a document’s embedded macros. Stuxnet and Conficker are worms that propagate through network exploits and other means rather than via document macros embedded in office apps.