Trojan

Like the war tactic used by the ancient Greeks in their fight against Troy, a Trojan is malware that pretends to be a legitimate application, like an online game, to gain control over a user’s computer and other devices.

How Trojans Gain Access to Devices

Common ways Trojans infect devices:

• User clicking on and accepting pop-up notifications without reading and fully comprehending its content.
• Failing to keep devices updated with current versions of their software.
• Downloading pirated media, such as video games, music, or movies.

Negatives of Trojans

• Monitors a person’s activity on a device.
• Sends an organization’s business reports and sensitive data to malicious third parties.
• Controls a site’s internet traffic.

Types of Trojans

Common forms of Trojan malware are:

• Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack: Used to enable a DDoS attack as the cybercriminal creates access points to attach to a device’s network.
• SMS Trojan: Sends and prevents people from receiving text messages. Also generates money for cybercriminals by sending text messages to premium-rate phone numbers.
• Banking Trojan: Designed specifically to steal data from bank accounts, credit cards, debit cards, and other online payment sites.

Prevention Strategies

Here are some ways to prevent Trojans from infecting a device.

• Use strong passwords.
• Use a new tab to login to accounts.
• Update software on a regular basis.
• Never click on unsolicited links and download unexpected attachments.
• Download an anti-virus program from a reputable source.