Trojan Virus Pc

[Gene Cryder]

Ahighly sophisticated online threat, Trojan viruses are malicious programs that disguise themselves as legitimate files, which makes them difficult to detect. Learn more about Trojan viruses, how to identify them, and steps to remove them. Then, get Norton AntiVirus Plus to help defend against Trojan viruses and other online threats.

Trojans are typically sent by scammers or hackers who use social engineering tactics, like the ones used in phishing attacks. Trojan horse malware appears as a harmless or even helpful file, leading users to install the malware unwittingly on their computers or phones.

Yes, Trojan viruses are quite dangerous, and while they may not replicate or spread like traditional viruses, the potential for causing harm is significant. Trojan malware is particularly harmful because users unknowingly install it, which enables cybercriminals to covertly exploit vulnerabilities and have the malware go unnoticed for a while.

Ultimately, cybercriminals use Trojans to secretly infiltrate and compromise a user's system to execute various malicious actions, from data theft and financial fraud to file destruction and unauthorized surveillance.

The harm that Trojans can cause extends beyond just individual computers. Cybercriminals can use Trojans to create a botnet, which is a network of infected computers that a malicious actor can remotely control to spread malware or stage other online attacks.

To help safeguard your device against malicious threats, Norton AntiVirus Plus offers a comprehensive suite of security features, like advanced threat protection and a smart firewall, designed to help protect your personal information and computer against Trojans, viruses, and other malware.

With Trojans and other malware a persistent threat, a proactive approach to online security is essential. Norton AntiVirus Plus provides layers of security including built-in hacking protection, a firewall, and real-time threat protection to help keep your device and personal information safer.

Editorial note: Our articles provide educational information for you. Our offerings may not cover or protect against every type of crime, fraud, or threat we write about. Our goal is to increase awareness about Cyber Safety. Please review complete Terms during enrollment or setup. Remember that no one can prevent all identity theft or cybercrime, and that LifeLock does not monitor all transactions at all businesses. The Norton and LifeLock brands are part of Gen Digital Inc.

A Trojan Horse Virus is a type of malware that downloads onto a computer disguised as a legitimate program. The delivery method typically sees an attacker use social engineering to hide malicious code within legitimate software to try and gain users' system access with their software.

The original story of the Trojan horse can be found in the Aeneid by Virgil and the Odyssey by Homer. In the story, the enemies of the city of Troy were able to get inside the city gates using a horse they pretended was a gift. The soldiers hid inside the huge wooden horse and once inside, they climbed out and let the other soldiers in.

A Trojan virus spreads through legitimate-looking emails and files attached to emails, which are spammed to reach the inboxes of as many people as possible. When the email is opened and the malicious attachment is downloaded, the Trojan server will install and automatically run every time the infected device is turned on.

Devices can also be infected by a Trojan through social engineering tactics, which cyber criminals use to coerce users into downloading a malicious application. The malicious file could be hidden in banner advertisements, pop-up advertisements, or links on websites.

A computer infected by Trojan malware can also spread it to other computers. A cyber criminal turns the device into a zombie computer, which means they have remote control of it without the user knowing. Hackers can then use the zombie computer to continue sharing malware across a network of devices, known as a botnet.

For example, a user might receive an email from someone they know, which includes an attachment that also looks legitimate. However, the attachment contains malicious code that executes and installs the Trojan on their device. The user often will not know anything untoward has occurred, as their computer may continue to work normally with no signs of it having been infected.

Trojans can also attack and infect smartphones and tablets using a strand of mobile malware. This could occur through the attacker redirecting traffic to a device connected to a Wi-Fi network and then using it to launch cyberattacks.

A Trojan horse virus can often remain on a device for months without the user knowing their computer has been infected. However, telltale signs of the presence of a Trojan include computer settings suddenly changing, a loss in computer performance, or unusual activity taking place. The best way to recognize a Trojan is to search a device using a Trojan scanner or malware-removal software.

Practicing good cyber hygiene is always the best first line of defense against Trojan viruses and other threats. Keep your operating systems updated and patched, run anti-virus software and allow it to scan your devices regularly, and avoid phishing attacks by carefully inspecting inbound emails.

While browsing the web, pay attention to the URLs displayed in your browser address bar. Also, inspect links before you click on them. And install a privacy or security extension from your browser vendor's extensions store.

When the horse's belly opened at night it was too late. The Greeks had finally succeeded in capturing the long besieged city of Troy, bringing the Trojan War to an end. Thousands of years later, the myth of the Trojan horse still lives on, albeit today in an unflattering connotation. For what once stood for a brilliant trick and a masterful feat of engineering is nowadays regarded as a malicious digital pest whose sole aim is to wreak havoc on its victims' computers unnoticed. It does this by reading passwords, recording keyboard strokes or opening the door for further malware that can even take the entire computer hostage. These actions can include:

They are one of the simplest but potentially most dangerous types of Trojan. This is because they can either load all sorts of malware onto your system in their role as a gateway, or at least ensure that your computer is vulnerable to attack. A backdoor is often used to set up botnets. Without your knowledge, your computer becomes part of a zombie network that is used for attacks. Furthermore, backdoors can allow code and commands to be executed on your device or monitor your web traffic.

Rootkits are designed to conceal certain objects or activities in your system. Often their main purpose is to prevent malicious programs being detected, in order to extend the period in which the programs can run on an infected computer.

One of the best-known dropper Trojans is the Emotet malware, which has now been rendered harmless but which, in contrast to a backdoor Trojan, cannot execute any code on the PC itself. Instead, it brings other malware with it, for example the banking Trojan Trickbot and the ransomware Ryuk. Droppers are therefore similar to downloader Trojans, the difference being that downloaders need a network resource to pull malware from the network. Droppers themselves already contain the other malicious components in the program package. Both types of Trojan can be remotely updated in secret by the programmers responsible, for example so that virus scanners cannot detect them with new definitions. New functions can also be added in this way.

Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks continue to haunt the web. In these attacks, a server or network is torpedoed with requests, usually by a botnet. In mid-June 2020, for example, Amazon fended off a record attack on its servers. For over three days, Amazon's web services were targeted with a data throughput of 2.3 terabytes per second. There must be an enormous botnet to achieve that kind of computing power. Botnets consist of zombie computers, so to speak. On the face of it they are running normally, but they are also functioning silently as attackers. The reason for this is a Trojan with a backdoor component that slumbers unnoticed on the computer and, if necessary, is activated by its operator. If a botnet attack or a DDoS attack is successful, websites or even entire networks are no longer accessible.

Fake antivirus Trojans are particularly insidious. Instead of protecting, they get every device into serious trouble. With alleged virus findings, they want to cause panic among unsuspecting users and persuade them to purchase effective protection by paying a fee. But instead of a helpful virus scanner, the user only gets more problems, as their payment data is conveyed to the Trojan originator for further misuse. So if you suddenly get a virus warning in your browser when visiting a website, you should ignore this and only trust your system virus scanner.

Trojan-IM programs steal your login data and passwords for instant messaging programs such as ICQ, MSN Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Pager, Skype, etc. One could argue that these messengers are barely in use nowadays. However, even new messenger services are not immune to Trojans. Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal could also become targets of Trojans. As recently as December 2020, a Windows Trojan was commandeered via a Telegram channel. Instant messaging should also be protected against dangerous phishing attacks.

In January 2018, security researchers at Kaspersky discovered a Trojan called Skygofree. The malware has extremely advanced functions and can, for example, connect to Wi-Fi networks on its own, even if the user has deactivated the function on their device. The Skygofree Trojan can also monitor the popular messenger service WhatsApp. It reads messages and can also steal them.

3a8082e126