A Trojan horsealso known as a Trojan, is a type of malicious software which is downloaded onto a computer, disguised as a legitimate programme, in order to deceive the user and infiltrate their system.
- TYPE : 🔴 Malicious software (malware)
- FREQUENCY : 🔥🔥🔥🔥
- DANGEROUS : πππππ
Unlike virus Trojans, on the other hand, require the user to take action in order to install themselves.
How it works
Trojans use various camouflage strategies to evade detection:
- They are presented as harmless files or programs
- They are often downloaded from unsafe sites or via e-mail attachments.
- Once installed, they can spy on user activity, steal sensitive data or take control of the device.
Notable examples of Trojan horses
Here are a few examples of Trojan horses:
- ILOVEYOU (2000) This Trojan horse is also a worm masquerading as a love letter. It has infected more than 10 million Windows PCs.
- Zeus (2009) Trojan targeting financial information has compromised more than 74,000 FTP accounts, including those of major companies such as Bank of America and Amazon.
- Emotet (2014) The malware: initially a banking Trojan, it has evolved to spread other malware, costing governments up to $1 million per incident to remediate.
π Protection and remedies
To protect yourself against Trojan horses, we recommend :
- Use up-to-date anti-virus and anti-malware software
- Apply security updates regularly
- Take care when downloading files or opening attachments
- Restrict user rights to prevent the installation of unauthorised software
- Implement strict IT security policies
In the event of infection, it is crucial to clean up the infected system and restore any compromised files
