<p>The spread of worms, a type of malware, is a significant threat to complex networks because they can infect network systems and cause widespread disruption. The proliferation of smart devices has heightened concerns regarding malware and worm threats. A green worm, a type of worm, is designed to detect vulnerabilities and malware in complex networks using propagation techniques. They are used to secure and clean the network. This paper investigates the spread of worms in complex networks using epidemic models and considers the green worm as a defense mechanism. The green worm reduces the spread of infection in the network during three stages: detection, patching, and defense mechanism. The presented model includes green worm influence rate, robustness immunization rate, and green worm hit list size. We calculate the basic reproduction ratio and analyze the stability of the model at the worm-free equilibrium point. The maximum size of the green worm hit list is also examined. The effect of the model propagation process on artificial and real-world networks is investigated. Using this model, similar to benign worm models, within networks that perform critical functions, such as industrial and healthcare networks, presents a higher level of risk. It is advisable to use home or isolated networks with robust security measures for testing purposes. Adding a vaccination stage to this model is anticipated to reduce its risk compared to other benign worm models.</p>