Write once read many (WORM) describes a data storage device in which information, once written, cannot be modified. This write protection affords the assurance that the data cannot be tampered with once it is written to the device, excluding the possibility of data loss from human error, computer bugs, or malware.
Once written to, the data on a once-writable optical disc can not be modified and the space is reserved.
CD-R is a digital optical disc storage format. A CD-R disc is a compact disc that can only be written once and read arbitrarily many times.
Assorted CD-Rs
Isolated data layer of a CD-R
Photomicrograph of the groove in a CD-R disc
An example of a CD-R burned in 2000 showing dye degradation in 2008. Part of the data on it has been lost.