What does a Trojan horse do? • So how does it get on my computer? • How can I defend myself against Trojan horses?
|
|
Trojan Horses: Theft and Destruction in disguise
The Internet has become a dangerous place, with hackers using spy like tools to monitor your PC, dispatching malicious code to initiate disabling attacks, or running remote control programs that take over the control and operation of your PC. Stop it. Prevent it. Sniper Firewall |
|
An advanced spyware removal utility that detects and cleans thousands of potential spyware, adware, trojans, keyloggers and tracking threats from your PC. |
SecureClean SecureClean isolates and removes all Internet records from your hard drive making it impossible for cyber criminals to steal your data. |
|
Registry Mechanic With a few easy steps Registry Mechanic will scan your entire registry for any invalid entries and provides a list of the registry errors found, you can then choose to selectively clean each item or automatically repair them all.
|
SOS Data Protection & Recovery Software NO MORE PANIC ATTACKS! SOS takes the worry out of data security and recovery in one easy menu driven application. |
|
More Downloads CD/DVD Diagnostic CD Data Recovery Software Flash Recovery Flash Media Recovery Software
|
The first Trojan Horse was a present.
In Homer's Iliad, the Greeks and the Trojans are at war. The Greeks tell the Trojans they are finally going home and leaving a gift for the Trojans - a giant horse - to commemorate the years of battle.
The Greeks appear to sail off into the sunset, and the next morning the Trojans drag the huge horse into their city through the massive gates that have kept the Greeks out without fail year after year.
Hiding in the belly of the horse are Greek troops. They wait until Troy is asleep, then open the gates to give the Greek army complete access to the city and Troy is destroyed.
|
ID Theft
Trojan horses The right software for the right job FREE newsletter |
What does a Trojan horse do?
A Trojan Horse is a sneaky, stealthy program like a RAT that isn't at all what it says it is. It may be an email saying it's a patch or upgrade, but once you click on the "patch" a program is installed on your computer that may do no more than change the appearance of your desktop, or it may run around deleting documents, deleting software, and opening a backdoor for hackers to get into your computer, watch everything you do, and access every bit of information stored on your hard drive while you surf.
Once it's on your computer, that's where it stays. Unlike a virus, it isn't "contagious" meaning that if you are part of a network it won't jump from computer to computer.
So how does it get on my computer?
Trojans invade your computer in so many ways that it's impossible to avoid them. They can be hiding in games, email, movies, music, MP3, video, demos, virtually anything you open and/or download from the Internet. They can also be picked up just by surfing. They are hidden in web sites (with or without the site owner's knowledge), ad banners, and forms.
Emails are one of the few times you can recognize a Trojan. The email may tell you to hurry up and download some sort of patch that is a magic cure for a worm, or the email may say it's a Microsoft update patch; but in fact the so-called patch is a Trojan. The way to recognize it is by the execute file that is attached.
This means that regardless of the message, the text carries a .exe or .bat or any other number of .xxx tag applications (a tag application is an order to your computer to perform an action or task). It's that last tag that counts. It's the application that executes the installation of the Trojan onto your hard drive and tells the Trojan to begin operating on your hard drive.
How can I defend myself against Trojan horses?
You need to make sure you have a good firewall in place and that the security setting is properly configured.
You need to make sure you have an excellent anti-virus software installed and that you perform whatever configuration it requests, if any.
Erase your Internet tracks with a a program like SecureClean.
Install a good anti-spyware program.
You must keep your Operating System (OS) up to date. For instance, it you have a Microsoft Windows OS, it's a good idea to update as often as they recommend, but only through their update web site or through auto updates. Microsoft does not send out emails through a third party, and they never send out updates and patches through email.
Make sure you back up your computer regularly. Today, most computers have some sort of automatic backup method in place as part of the package, but it may not put everything back exactly the way you had it, and you may find that you are missing bits and pieces. SOS Data Protection & Recovery Software is an excellent choice for backup. It's affordable, very user-friendly, and everything comes back exactly the same - even your desktop!
Trojan horses may also use your Registry to perform some of its functions. That's why it's a good idea to install a program like Registry Mechanic. An infected Registry can cause your computer to slow down to a crawl and eventually crash, and anti-Spyware doesn't always remove all the fingerprints left in your Registry by viruses and worms.