Trojans -Computer Virus

A Trojan horse, or trojan for short, is a term used to describe malware that appears, to the user, to perform a desirable function but, in fact, facilitates unauthorized access to the user’s computer system. The term comes from the Trojan Horse story in Greek mythology. Trojan horses are not self-replicating which distinguishes them from viruses and worms. Additionally, they require interaction with a hacker to fulfill their purpose. The hacker need not be the individual responsible for distributing the Trojan horse. It is possible for hackers to scan computers on a network using a port scanner in the hope of finding one with a Trojan horse installed

Trojan horses are designed to allow a hacker remote access to a target computer system. Once a Trojan horse has been installed on a target computer system it is possible for a hacker to access it remotely and perform operations. The operations that a hacker can perform are limited by user privileges on the target computer system and the design of the Trojan horse itself.

Operations which could be performed by a hacker on a target computer system include:

Use of the machine as part of a Botnet (e.g. to perform Distributed Denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks)
Data Theft (e.g. passwords, security codes, credit card information)
Installation of software (including other malware)
Downloading of files
Uploading of files
Deletion of files
Modification of files
Keystroke logging
Viewing the user’s screen

So why are trojans or trojan horses so dangerous? The basic idea is that you download a program, for example one that you think is some sort a game demo. When you run the demo, to your surprise, nothing happens. Or so you thought. What may have happened is that you’ve just unwittingly run some form of program that has planted itself on your hard drive. Perhaps it’s going to be a very basic application, and simply delete some files on your system. Perhaps it’s an even more sinister tool that will actually give other people full access to your hard drive and system. Sounds ridiculous? It happens literally every single day, to computer users all around the world.

In short, if you want to keep your PC safe, follow the three golden rules:
• Use a good anti trojan application, that offers regular trojan definition updates. Use the software regularly, and keep it up to date.
• Use a good anti virus application, that offers regular virus definition updates. Use the software, and keep it up to date.
•Keep your operating system up to date with security fixes.

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