Malware: What are Trojans?
Introduction
The term “Trojan horse” is normally associated with the ancient Greek story of “The Iliad,” so why is there a type of malware called a Trojan horse? This is done on purpose and for good reason. Trojan horse malware acts similar to the story’s wooden horse and has the same intent — to introduce something unexpected under the guise of something else.
This article will detail what Trojan horse malware is, how it infects computers and some of the most commonly seen Trojan horse malware today. Those still in the dark about Trojan horses will soon find the illumination the are seeking.
Trojan horse?
Homer’s “The Iliad” described the Trojan War of the eastern Mediterranean in the 12th century B.C. In this epic poem, the Greek city-states went to war with Troy in response to the kidnapping of the beautiful Helen. In a successful ploy to breach the impregnable city wall of Troy, the Greeks gave the Trojans a gift of a massive, hollow horse made of wood. This horse was filled with Greek soldiers and once nightfall came, the soldiers poured out and put Troy to the sword.
But enough with the history lesson. Much like the ancient Trojan horse, modern Trojan horse malware uses the same tactic the Greeks used. It tricks users into thinking that it is legitimate software and it may very well look that way even to trained eyes. Once downloaded, opened and executed on a computer, the Trojan horse becomes activated. And much like the Greek soldiers in the horse, the creators of the Trojan horse will have inside access to your computer.
It should be noted that while some claim that Trojan horses are viruses, they are really their own classification of malware. Without getting into too many specifics (Read more...)
*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Infosec Resources authored by Greg Belding. Read the original post at: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/infosecResources/~3/-udNvr9Lrto/
