software bug
Program's hidden error
A software bug is an error in a computer program that causes unintended behavior—crashes, incorrect output, or security vulnerabilities.
Bugs range from trivial display glitches to catastrophic failures.
The term predates electronic computing but became standard after engineers found an actual moth causing malfunctions in an early computer.
To debug is to find and fix such errors: We spent three days tracking down the bug.
- glitchMinor system fault
- crashSudden violent impact
- blue screenFatal system error display
- errorFault in communication
- codeSymbolic communication system
defect · flaw · virus · malware · beetle · insect · creepy-crawly · antennae · programmer · zero day · stack trace · exception · stack overflow · breakpoint · rubber duck · workaround · hack · testing
- infrastructure failuresbridge collapse, potholes, dam breach, power outage, water main breaks
- malfunctionsbroken, defective, glitch, faulty, error
- tech problemsbug, paper jam, low ink, dropped calls, runtime error
- faultsfault, flaw, defect, imperfection, shortcoming
- operational riskssystem failure, human error, equipment failure, data breach, hardware failure
- defectsdefect, flaw, crack, cracks, defective