If the first eight months are any indication, 2001 should be remembered the "Year of the Worm". Never before have we seen so many Internet worms spreading at such a dizzying pace. In examining the Internet worms fielding thus far, two facts stand out. First, these pieces of malware are more complex than previous instances and, second, their writers have taken them beyond being proof-of-concept attacks. Some now contain payloads designed to destroy computer files and configuration information. Their complexity and lethality make this year's crop of worms place special challenges on anti-virus vendors. This article will take a brief look at some of the developments in malware, specifically in the development and proliferation of worms, thus far in 2001.