Trojans

Index to Trojan topics

Panic! You are infected- Clean out the Trojan
Protect yourself -Trojan checklist
Trojan cleaning software.
Viruses, Worms and Trojans
Trojan Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

If Trojans are malicious software, similar to viruses and worms, why do they get their own section? Although aspects of viruses, worms and Trojans can be combined, Trojans do have their peculiar characteristics. Trojans pose different risks and there is specialty software designed to deal with them.

A primary goal of Trojans doesn't include replicating itself. By definition, a Trojan is "invited" into the computer and therefore has a form of replication not available to viruses and worms. Let's not stress this point too much since some malicious software uses both Trojan and virus/worm techniques to replicate.

Although a Trojan can act in the same malicious way that a virus or worm can, a typical goal of a Trojan is to deliver software that can open a "back door" to a computer, thereby letting a remote user control the computer in some way. Some famous uses for remote control include the following:

By using a "key logger", the hacker can read your keystrokes. Stealing passwords is the obvious use for this technique.
Read your private information. By having access to your computer, the hacker can read any file stored there, including your emails and documents.
Turning your computer into a platform from which to attack other computers. By using your computer as a conduit, it can be devilishly difficult to back track attacks to the original hacker. In addition, your computer may be just one of many used to attack a single computer in what is known as a distributed denial of service (DDOS) attack.

Do you feel that your computer is infected with a Tojan? If so, your computer is under the control of some evil hacker and its best to panic now! Second, read how to clean your machine. Next, avoid getting infected with a Trojan by implementing a checklist of safety mesures on your computer. For a list of specific anti-Trojn software, check out this page. Useful information that is not found elsewhere on these Trojan pages can be found on the Trojan Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.

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