What Is a Trojan Dropper?
Trojan droppers are software that use various methods to spread and install trojan viruses onto computers. Trojan droppers, which are themselves either trojans or another class of virus, can harm the computer and harm the user through data and identity theft. Removal of trojan droppers requires either anti-virus software or virus-removal tools.
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Terms
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A computer virus is a malicious program that infects files. The function of a virus is to either harm a computer's operating system and software, delete data or steal data and information. A trojan is a special class of virus that pretends to be legitimate software. Once installed, the trojan acts as a virus instead of its advertised function. A trojan dropper is software that connects to the Internet and downloads trojan viruses onto the computer.
Threat
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Trojan droppers are very harmful to computer systems because they may download a variety of trojan viruses onto a computer. Each of these viruses may delete important data or system files. They may deteriorate system performance, cause system errors or prevent the computer from functioning at all. Trojans may also act like spyware and steal sensitive information on computers, such as credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, phone numbers or email addresses.
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Symptoms
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The symptoms of a trojan dropper vary. If you are using firewall software, you may receive warnings that an unauthorized program is attempting to connect to the Internet. If trojans are downloaded, the system may have errors, become slow or cease to function. If the system has anti-virus software, it may detect and delete trojans, but they will return unless the trojan dropper is also deleted.
Removal
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Trojan dropper software is removed with either anti-virus programs or special malware removal tools. Anti-virus software such as Norton Antivirus, McAfee Antivirus or AVG Internet Security constantly scan a computer searching for known threats or suspicious behavior. If the anti-virus software detects the trojan dropper, it will either quarantine or delete it. Malware removal tools are specialized programs that remove specific infections. Removal tools are created when anti-virus software is not able to remove a virus infection.
Considerations
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It is important to remove the trojan dropper as soon as possible. Deleting the downloaded trojans may improve system performance but will not remove the root problem. Use smart Internet practices such as not downloading files or opening attachments from unknown sources. Install anti-virus software on a computer and keep it up-to-date.
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References
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