In which order does a virus pass through its four phases?

Answer

Dormant, propagation, triggering, execution

Options - A. Dormant, propagation, triggering, execution - B. Dormant, triggering, propagation, execution - C. Propagation, dormant, triggering, execution - D. Triggering, propagation, dormant, execution Why - A. Correct — idle, then copy itself into new hosts, then the trigger condition is met, then the payload runs. - B. Triggering before propagation inverts the whole point: the virus spreads silently long before anything fires, which is why an outbreak is always bigger than the first symptom. - C. Propagation cannot come first — the virus is dormant from the moment it arrives until something activates it. - D. The trigger is a condition tested by an already-running copy; it cannot be the first phase of a copy that has not run yet. Worms run these same four phases, which is what makes "how many phases?" a four-mark-free question if you have this list.

Stallings & Brown, Computer Security 5e, ch6 §6.3