About Trojan Horse Viruses

Trojan horses make good computers go bad.

It's every computer owner's worst nightmare--a virus that not only disrupts your computer's function, but also steals your vital information, such as passwords, financial data and personal information. Then, to add insult to injury, it replicates itself by using your computer to spread itself through the Internet. It's a Trojan horse, among the most virulent computer bugs lurking on the Internet, just waiting for a vulnerable computer.

History

The history of the Trojan horse virus predates computers by a few centuries. Named for the method the Greek army used to invade the city of Troy--hiding in a "gift" of a hollow statue of a horse--the Trojan horse, as it applies to a computer virus, attacks in the same way, using a gift, such as an email attachment or other download, to invade your computer.

The first Trojan horse virus was reported in the 1980s; the explosion of Internet usage in the 1990s gave way to a similar epidemic of Trojan horse viruses.

Function

A Trojan horse virus allows a hacker--either a person or a computer programmed to do so--to invade your computer. The hacker then either uses the access to your computer to steal information from you, such as financial data, passwords or other data, or uses your computer as a means to infect other computers by installing malware on your computer that can attach itself to files intended for distribution to others.

Identification

Trojan horse infections are notoriously difficult to identify, unless this malicious virus is programmed to disrupt your normal activities on the computer. The signs of Trojans that are programmed to steal information and infect other computers are often so subtle that they are hard to pinpoint. For this reason, it is wise to use anti-virus software that scans your computer for Trojans and other viruses regularly.

Prevention/Solution

The best way to avoid infection with a Trojan horse virus is to be vigilant about opening and downloading files to your computer. Never download or open files from sources you do not know. This includes files found on file-sharing networks and forwarded email attachments. When you do download files to your computer, designate a folder just for downloads, and use your anti-virus software to scan it for viruses before opening the file.

Considerations

Anti-virus software is a great defense against Trojan horse viruses, but only if it is used consistently and updated regularly. Never connect to the Internet without using anti-virus software. Update your anti-virus software at least once a week to be sure that you're protected against the latest infectious viruses.

References

• Internet Relay Chat Help Archive: Trojan Horse Attacks

Resources

• BitDefender: Malware and Spam Survey