Trojan attack. What is a Trojan virus? How Trojan viruses are introduced onto a computer
Hello admin! I worked without an antivirus for two weeks, I didn’t surf the Internet much during this time, but today I installed an antivirus and it found three Trojan programs during scanning! Could they have done something in such a short period of time on my operating system?
Trojan programs: educational program
A separate type of malware is called Trojan because of comparison with the Trojan horse, which, according to ancient Greek mythology, was given to the inhabitants of Troy by the Greeks. Greek soldiers were hiding inside the Trojan horse. At night they came out of hiding, killed the Trojan guards and opened the city gates to the rest of the military force.
What is the essence of Trojan programs?
A Trojan program, also known as a Trojan, also known as a Trojan, is a type of malware that differs from classic viruses that independently infiltrate a computer, breed there and multiply by participating in the activation process of a human user. Trojan programs, as a rule, are not able to spread themselves, as viruses or network worms do. Trojan programs can disguise themselves as various types of files – installers, documents, multimedia files. The user, by launching the file under which the Trojan disguises itself, launches the Trojan itself. Trojan programs can be registered in the system registry and activated during Windows startup. Trojans are sometimes virus modules.
How can you pick up a Trojan program?
Installers of programs or games are often equipped with Trojans, and then they are posted on low-quality file hosting services, Varez sites and other less-than-ideal software portals for mass downloading by Internet users. You can also pick up a Trojan program by mail, online messengers, social networks and other sites.
Friends, now I will show you how you can download a real Trojan. For example, you decided to download it for yourself, typed the appropriate request in your browser and got to this site, naturally click Download
And instead of Windows, we are blatantly given to download a Trojan, the download of which is interrupted by my anti-virus program. Be careful.
The scenario for introducing Trojans can be different. These are requests to download some additional software - codecs, flash players, browsers, various updates for web applications, naturally, not from their official websites. For example, while surfing the Internet you may come across such a warning, which again hides a Trojan program. Please note that there is even a spelling error on the banner.
These are links from unknown users that you are actively persuaded to follow. However, an “infected” link on a social network, Skype, ICQ or other messenger can be sent by a familiar user, although he himself will not even suspect it, since the Trojan will do it instead of him. You can catch a Trojan by succumbing to any other tricks of its distributor, whose goal is to force you to download a malicious file from the Internet and run it on your computer.
This is what a live Trojan might look like, I just caught it yesterday on a friend’s computer, maybe the friend thought that he had downloaded the free antivirus Norton Antivirus 2014. If you run this “antivirus”, then
Windows desktop will be locked!
Signs of a Trojan on your computer
Various signs may indicate that a Trojan has penetrated your computer. For example, the computer itself reboots, turns off, launches some programs or system services on its own, and opens and closes the CD-ROM console on its own. The browser itself can load web pages that you have not even visited before. In most cases, these are various porn sites or gaming portals. Spontaneous downloading of porn - videos or pictures - is also a sign that a Trojan is already in full swing on the computer. Spontaneous screen flashes, and sometimes also accompanied by clicks, as happens when taking screenshots, are a clear sign that you have become a victim of a spyware Trojan. The presence of Trojan software in the system can also be indicated by new, previously unknown to you, applications in startup.
But Trojan programs do not always work, impersonating themselves, and their signs are not always obvious. In such cases, it is much easier for users of low-power computer devices than for owners of high-performance machines. If a Trojan penetrates, the first ones will be able to observe a sharp decline in performance. This is usually 100% CPU, RAM or disk load, but no user programs are active. And in the Windows Task Manager, almost all computer resources will be used by an unknown process.
For what purposes are Trojan programs created?
Theft of user data
Numbers of wallets, bank cards and accounts, logins, passwords, PIN codes and other confidential data of people - all this is of particular commercial interest to the creators of Trojan programs. That is why Internet payment systems and online banking systems try to secure the virtual money of their clients by introducing various security mechanisms. As a rule, such mechanisms are implemented by entering additional codes that are sent via SMS to a mobile phone.
Trojans do not only hunt for data from financial systems. The object of theft may be login data for various Internet user accounts. These are accounts of social networks, dating sites, Skype, ICQ, as well as other Internet platforms and instant messengers. Having taken over a user's account with the help of a Trojan, scammers can use various money-grabbing schemes on his friends and subscribers - asking for money, offering various services or products. And, for example, scammers can turn the account of some pretty girl into a point of sale of porn materials or redirect them to the necessary porn sites.
To steal people's confidential data, scammers usually create special Trojan software - spyware, also known as Spyware.
Spam
Trojans can be created specifically to collect email addresses of Internet users and then send them spam.
Downloading files and boosting website indicators
File sharing services are far from the most profitable type of income if you do everything honestly. A low-quality website is also not the best way to win a user audience. To increase the number of downloaded files in the first case and the traffic indicator in the second, you can introduce a Trojan into users’ computers, which, without knowing it, will help scammers improve their financial well-being. Trojan programs will open the desired link or website in the users’ browser.
Stealthy computer control
Not only cheating website indicators or downloading necessary files from file hosting services, but even hacker attacks on the servers of companies and government agencies are carried out with the help of Trojans, which are installers of backdoors. The latter are special programs created for remote control of a computer, naturally, secretly, so that the user does not guess anything and does not sound the alarm.
Data destruction
A particularly dangerous type of Trojan can lead to the destruction of data. And not only. The barbarity of some Trojan programs can result in damage to the hardware components of your computer or network equipment. DDoS attacks - disabling computer equipment - are carried out by hackers, usually to order. For example, to destroy data from competing companies or government agencies. Less commonly, DDoS attacks are an expression of political protest, blackmail or extortion. Novice hackers can practice carrying out DDoS attacks without any particular intent or global purpose in order to become experienced geniuses of evil in the future.
Instructions
Today, a Trojan horse is called a malicious one that penetrates a computer, masquerading as harmless and even useful programs. The user of such a program does not even suspect that its code contains hostile functions. When the program is launched, it is introduced into the computer system and begins to create all the outrages for which it was created by attackers. The consequences of infection with Trojans can be very different - from unnerving, but completely harmless freezes, to the transfer of your data to scammers and causing you serious material damage. The difference between a Trojan is that a Trojan is not capable of self-copying, which means that each of them was introduced into the system by the user himself. Antiviruses can track Trojan horses, but special programs do a much better job of this.
Moreover, almost all antivirus manufacturers offer free utilities for catching Trojans on their websites. Eset NOD, Dr. Web, Kaspersky - any of these manufacturers can offer the latest version of the program that can catch your uninvited guests. It is very important to use the latest utilities, because the army of Trojans is replenished every day with new, more cunning representatives, and a program from the day before yesterday may simply not recognize them. Sometimes it makes sense to download several programs and run the system through them. In addition to utilities produced by antivirus companies, you can also find anti-Trojans on the Internet from lesser-known manufacturers, but no less effective in searching. For example AntiSpyWare, Ad-Aware, SpyBot and many others. If independent attempts to treat your computer do not bring the desired result, then it is better to take the computer to a specialist who can apply more serious measures.
But, as you know, the best treatment is prevention. As mentioned above, Trojans do not materialize out of nowhere; users themselves download them to their computer. This can happen when downloading unknown files, following dubious links, or opening files with unknown content in mail. Hacked programs are especially dangerous in terms of potential infection. The core of such a program will be 99% infected with a Trojan virus; alas, there is no free cheese. Therefore, vigilance and caution - these two qualities will be more reliable than any antivirus. A good antivirus, with new databases, and regular checking of your computer with special programs will close the last gap through which a Trojan horse could sneak into you.
Today on the World Wide Web you can find so many underwater reefs in the form of viruses that you can’t even count them. Naturally, all threats are classified according to the method of penetration into the system, the harm caused and methods of removal. Unfortunately, one of the most dangerous is the Trojan virus (or Trojan). We will try to consider what this threat is. Ultimately, we’ll also figure out how to safely remove this crap from a computer or mobile device.
"Trojan" - what is it?
Trojan viruses are a self-copying type with their own executable codes or embedded in other applications, which pose a fairly serious threat to any computer or mobile system.
For the most part, Windows and Android systems are most affected. Until recently, it was believed that such viruses did not affect UNIX-like operating systems. However, just a few weeks ago, Apple mobile gadgets were also attacked by the virus. It is believed that the Trojan poses a threat. We will now see what this virus is.
Analogy with history
The comparison with historical events is not accidental. And before we figure it out, let’s turn to Homer’s immortal work “The Iliad,” which describes the capture of rebellious Troy. As you know, it was impossible to enter the city in the usual way or take it by storm, so it was decided to give the residents a huge horse as a sign of reconciliation.
As it turned out, there were soldiers inside it, who opened the city gates, after which Troy fell. The Trojan program behaves in exactly the same way. The saddest thing is that such viruses do not spread spontaneously, like some other threats, but purposefully.
How does the threat enter the system?
The most common method used to penetrate a computer or mobile system is to disguise itself as some kind of attractive or even standard program for the user. In some cases, a virus may embed its own codes into existing applications (most often these are system services or user programs).
Finally, malicious code can enter computers and networks in the form of graphic images or even HTML documents - either arriving as email attachments or copied from removable media.
With all this, if the code is embedded in a standard application, it can still partially perform its functions; the virus itself is activated when the corresponding service is launched. It’s worse when the service is at startup and starts with the system.
Consequences of exposure
Regarding the impact of the virus, it may partially cause system crashes or interruption of Internet access. But this is not his main goal. The main task of the Trojan is to steal confidential data for the purpose of using it by third parties.
Here you will find PIN codes for bank cards, logins with passwords for accessing certain Internet resources, and state registration data (numbers and personal identification numbers, etc.), in general, everything that is not subject to disclosure, according to the opinion of the owner of the computer or mobile device (of course, provided that such data is stored there).
Unfortunately, when such information is stolen, it is impossible to predict how it will be used in the future. On the other hand, you don’t have to be surprised if one day they call you from some bank and say that you have a loan debt, or all the money will disappear from your bank card. And these are just flowers.
on Windows
Now let's move on to the most important thing: how To do this is not as easy as some naive users believe. Of course, in some cases it is possible to find and neutralize the body of the virus, but since, as mentioned above, it is capable of creating its own copies, and not just one or two, finding and removing them can become a real headache. At the same time, neither a firewall nor standard anti-virus protection will help if the virus has already been missed and infiltrated into the system.
In this case, it is recommended to remove the Trojan using portable anti-virus utilities, and in the case of RAM capture, with special programs loaded before starting the operating system from an optical media (disk) or USB device.
Among portable applications, it is worth noting products like Dr. Web Cure It and Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool. Of the disk programs, Kaspersky Rescue Disc is the most functional. It goes without saying that their use is not a dogma. Today you can find any amount of such software.
How to remove a Trojan from Android
As for Android systems, things are not so simple. Portable applications have not been created for them. In principle, as an option, you can try connecting the device to a computer and scanning the internal and external memory with a computer utility. But if you look at the other side of the coin, where is the guarantee that when connected, the virus will not penetrate the computer?
In such a situation, the problem of how to remove a Trojan from Android can be solved by installing the appropriate software, for example from Google Market. Of course, there are so many things here that you are simply at a loss as to what exactly to choose.
But most experts and specialists in the field of data protection are inclined to think that the best application is 360 Security, which is capable of not only identifying threats of almost all known types, but also providing comprehensive protection for the mobile device in the future. It goes without saying that it will constantly hang in RAM, creating an additional load, but, you see, security is still more important.
What else is worth paying attention to
So we have dealt with the topic “Trojan - what is this type of virus?” Separately, I would like to draw the attention of users of all systems, without exception, to a few more points. First of all, before opening email attachments, always scan them with an antivirus. When installing programs, carefully read the proposals for installing additional components such as add-ons or browser panels (the virus can be disguised there too). Do not visit dubious sites if you see an antivirus warning. Do not use the simplest free antiviruses (it is better to install the same Eset Smart Security package and activate using free keys every 30 days). Finally, store passwords, PIN codes, bank card numbers and everything else in encrypted form exclusively on removable media. Only in this case can you be at least partially confident that they will not be stolen or, even worse, used for malicious purposes.
On the Internet today you can find many pitfalls in the form of viruses. You can't count them all. All threats can be classified according to the method of penetration into the system, methods of removal and the harm caused. One of the most dangerous viruses today is a Trojan.
Today we will try to figure out what this threat is. Ultimately, we will try to figure out how you can safely remove such crap from your computer and mobile device.
What is a Trojan?
Trojan viruses are self-replicating malicious objects with executable codes that can be embedded in other applications. They pose a fairly serious threat to any computer and mobile system. Android and Windows systems are most affected. Until recently, it was believed that viruses of this type did not affect UNIX operating systems. However, just a few weeks ago an attack was carried out on Apple mobile devices. It is believed that Trojans pose the greatest threat. We will now try to find out what such a virus is.
By analogy with historical events
It is no coincidence that the Trojans got their name by analogy with some historical events. Before we figure out how to remove Trojan viruses from a computer system, let’s turn to the immortal work “The Iliad” by Homer. It is here that it is described how the rebellious Troy was taken. It was impossible to penetrate the city in the usual way or take it by storm, so it was decided to give a giant horse with warriors inside as a sign of reconciliation. Having entered the city, they opened the gates. After this Troy fell. Trojan viruses work on the same principle. The saddest thing is that such viruses do not spread spontaneously, but purposefully.
How a threat can enter a system
The most common method used to penetrate a mobile and computer system is to disguise itself as some kind of program that is attractive to the user. Sometimes there is a situation where a virus embeds its own codes into existing applications. As a rule, these are user programs or system services. Malicious codes can also penetrate networks and computers in the form of graphics or HTML documents. They can be distributed in incoming attachments or copied from removable storage media. Moreover, if the code is built into a standard program, then it can still partially perform its functions. The virus itself will be activated when the corresponding service or application is launched. The worst situation is when the service loads automatically and starts with the system.
Trojans: consequences
If we talk about the impact of a Trojan, this type of virus often causes system crashes and disruption of Internet access. But this is far from the main goal of the Trojan program. The main task of the Trojan is to steal confidential information for the purpose of using it by third parties. Confidential information includes logins and passwords for accessing certain Internet resources, state registration data, and bank card PIN codes. In general, all that information that is not subject to disclosure. When such information is stolen, it is impossible to predict how it will be used. As a result, you may lose all the money from your bank account, or some bank will call you and tell you that you have a huge loan debt.
Removing a virus in the Windows operating system.
Let's move on to the most important question: how can you remove the Trojan? In fact, this is not as easy to do as many users think. In some cases, of course, it is possible to find and neutralize the body of the virus. But it is worth remembering that he is capable of creating his own copies, and not just one or two. Finding and deleting them can be a real headache for the user. Neither a firewall nor a standard anti-virus program will help if a virus was missed and infiltrated into the system.
In this case, it is recommended to remove the Trojan using portable antivirus programs. If RAM is captured, the Trojan will have to be removed using special programs that are loaded before starting the operating system from a USB device or optical disk. Among portable applications, applications like Dr. can be especially highlighted. Web Cure It or Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool. The Kaspersky Rescue Disc utility has the maximum range of functions among disk programs. Of course, its use is not a dogma. Today you can find any amount of such software.
How to remove a Trojan from Android
As for devices running on the Android system, things are not so simple. Portable applications have not yet been created for them. Alternatively, you can try connecting the device directly to the PC and scanning the internal and external memory with a computer utility. But in this case, there is no guarantee that the virus will not penetrate the computer when connected. In such a situation, the problem with removing the Trojan can be solved by installing the appropriate software. There is so much here that you are simply at a loss as to what is best to choose. Most experts in the field of information security are inclined to believe that the best application in this area is 360 Security. It is capable of not only identifying threats of almost all known types, but also providing comprehensive protection for the mobile device in the future. Of course, it will constantly hang in RAM, thereby creating a load. But safety is still much more important.
What else should you pay attention to?
We have almost figured out what Trojans are. I would like to separately draw the attention of users of all systems, without exception, to several more important points. Before opening an attachment that came with an email, check it with an antivirus program. When installing programs, carefully read the proposals for installing additional components such as browser panels or add-ons. The virus may be hidden in them.
It is also better to refrain from visiting dubious sites, especially if your antivirus program issues a warning. It is also better not to use simple free antivirus programs. It’s better to install the same Eset Smart Security and activate it every 30 days using free keys. Also try to store passwords, bank card numbers, PIN codes and other confidential information on removable media in encrypted form. This is the only way to be at least partially sure that it is not being used for malicious purposes.
Fear the Danaans who bring gifts!
In Virgil's epic poem "Aeneid" Greek strategist Odysseus came up with an insidious plan to penetrate the impregnable fortress walls of besieged Troy. Instead of breaking through the walls or climbing them, Odysseus proposed another way to enter the city: by resorting to cunning. The Trojans saw the Greek ships sail away, leaving behind a giant wooden horse in recognition of their defeat. Rejoicing and celebrating the victory, the Trojans carried the horse into the city, unaware that Odysseus and his soldiers were hiding inside.
Like the Greek warriors in the ancient epic, "Trojan horse" malware, or simply "Trojan horse", uses cunning and social engineering to trick unsuspecting users into running seemingly harmless computer programs hidden in the depths of the its code contains various malicious functions.
What are the properties of Trojans?
Many people tend to think that Trojan horses are viruses or computer worms, but in reality they are neither. A virus is a file that infects the system, has the ability to copy itself and spreads by attaching itself to another program. Worms are also classified as malware and have many of the same properties as viruses, but they do not need to attach themselves to other programs to spread. Most viruses are now considered an obsolete type of threat. Worms are also relatively rare, but they can still make a big statement.
The term "Trojan" should be considered to refer to the delivery method of malware, since there are many types of Trojans. Depending on the goals pursued by the attackers, in the hands of hackers, a Trojan program can turn into a kind of Swiss Army knife: it can be either a separate malicious object or just a tool that helps to perform other illegal actions, for example, delivering a malicious payload, communicating with hacker after a while or overcome the system's defenses in the same way as Greek soldiers penetrated Troy through walls impregnable to conventional attacks.
In other words, a Trojan is a hacker's way of implementing a variety of threats, from ransomware that demands immediate payment of a ransom to spyware that hides in the depths of a system and steals valuable information, such as personal or credentials.
History of Trojans
Fun and Games
A program called "ANIMAL", released in 1975, is considered to be the world's first Trojan horse. It was a simple game of twenty questions. However, in the background, the game copied itself to shared directories where other users could run it. So this program could spread throughout the entire computer network. It did no harm and was a harmless joke.
However, by December 1989, Trojan horses were no longer a joke. Several thousand floppy disks containing the "AIDS" Trojan, now considered the first ransomware, were mailed to magazine subscribers. PC Business World, as well as participants in the AIDS conference, which was held by the World Health Organization. The Trojan would infiltrate a DOS system, remain dormant for 90 reboot cycles, and then encrypt all file names on the computer, prompting the user to send $189 to a PO Box in Panama to receive the decryption program.
In the 1990s, another Trojan horse program masquerading as the game “Whack-A-Mole” became notorious. This program hid a version of the "NetBus" application, which allowed remote control of a Microsoft Windows system connected to the network. Using remote access tools, attackers could perform a variety of actions, even opening the CD drive cover.
Love and money
In 2000, the ILOVEYOU Trojan carried out the most destructive cyberattack at that time, causing damage estimated at $8.7 billion. The victim would receive an email with an attractive attachment under the name "ILOVEYOU". If curiosity got the better of you and the user opened the attachment, the program would run a script that would overwrite the user's files and send a similar email to all contacts in the address book. As sophisticated as this worm was from a technical point of view, it must be admitted that the most sophisticated part of the attack was its use of social engineering techniques.
During the 2000s, Trojan horse attacks continued to evolve, and so did the associated threats. Instead of testing the limits of human curiosity, Trojans have increasingly begun to spread through hidden downloads, posing as music files, movies or video codecs. In 2002, the backdoor Trojan “Beast” appeared, which over time was able to infect almost all versions of the Windows system. Then, at the end of 2005, another backdoor, “Zlob,” became widespread, masquerading as the desired video codec in the form of ActiveX.
Throughout the 2000s, the number of Mac computer users increased. And cybercriminals didn’t have to wait long. In 2006, the first malware specifically designed for Mac OS X was discovered. However, it was still a low-risk Trojan program known as “OSX/Leap-A” or “OSX/Oompa-A.”
In addition, over time, the main motivations of hackers began to shift. In the early stages, many hackers who launched cyberattacks were motivated by a desire for power, control, or general destruction. However, by the beginning of the 2000s, greed had become the main “engine of progress” in this area. In 2007, the "Zeus" Trojan horse attack was launched and injected itself into Windows systems to steal banking data using a keylogger. In 2008, hackers released the malicious object "Torpig", also known as "Sinowal" and "Mebroot": it disables antivirus applications, thereby allowing unauthorized persons to access the computer, make changes to files and steal confidential information such as passwords or personal data.
The more the worse
As the 2010s progressed, attacks in search of profit continued, while hackers began to think in ever larger terms. The growing popularity of anonymous cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin has led to a surge in ransomware attacks. In 2013, the Trojan program “Cryptolocker” was discovered. It encrypted files on the user's hard drive and demanded that its developers pay a ransom in exchange for the decryption key. The same year, attacks by copycat Trojans followed, using the same techniques as Cryptolocker.
“Many of the Trojan horses we hear about today were specifically designed to attack a specific company, organization, or even government.”
In the 2010s, the principles for selecting victims also underwent changes. While many Trojans continue to use carpet bombing tactics to infect as many computers as possible, targeted attacks are becoming more common in cyberspace. Many Trojan horses we hear about today were specifically designed to attack a specific company, organization, or even government. In 2010, the Trojan program “Stuxnet” for the Windows platform showed itself. She made the first worm attack on a computerized control system. There is an opinion that this program was written specifically to hit Iran's nuclear infrastructure facilities. In 2016, the Trojan program “Tiny Banker” (“Tinba”) appeared on the front pages of news publications. Since its discovery, it has infected the computers of more than twenty banking organizations in the United States, including TD Bank, Chase, HSBC, Wells Fargo, PNC and Bank of America.
Because Trojan horses are one of the oldest and most common methods of delivering malware, their history is as rich as the history of cybercrime in general. What started as a harmless joke has become a weapon to destroy entire computer networks, an effective means of stealing data, making profit and seizing power. The times of simple jokers are long gone. Now on the forefront are serious cybercriminals who use powerful tools to obtain the necessary information, espionage and DDoS attacks.
Types of Trojans
Trojan programs are universal and very popular, so it is difficult to characterize each of their varieties. Most Trojans are designed to take control of a computer, steal data, spy on users, or introduce more malicious objects into an infected system. Here are just some of the main categories of threats associated with Trojan attacks:
- Backdoors are objects that allow remote access to a system. This type of malware changes security settings, giving hackers control of your device, stealing your data, or even downloading more malware onto your computer.
- Spyware monitors you and collects information about what accounts you access online or what credit card details you enter into form fields. They then provide the hackers with your passwords and other identification information.
- Trojan programs for creating “zombie computers”. With the help of such programs, hackers form botnets, entire networks consisting of infected computers, the resources of which they can use at their discretion. The term “botnet” is formed by combining the words “robot” and “network”. Trojan attack is the first step towards its creation. With the help of botnets, hackers can carry out DDoS attacks to bring down networks by overloading their communication lines by flooding traffic.
- Trojan downloaders download and install other malicious objects, such as ransomware or keyloggers.
- Dialers are another type of Trojan horse that may seem anachronistic since dial-up modems are no longer in use. However, we will tell you about these programs in the next section.
Trojanized programs for Android smartphones
Trojan horses are not just a problem for desktop computers and laptops. They are, which is not surprising, because there are several billion phones in the world alone, and each of them is a tempting target for hackers.
As with computers, a Trojan horse pretends to be a legitimate application when in reality it is nothing more than a fake full of malicious objects.
Such Trojans usually hide in unofficial or pirated app stores and trick users into downloading them. By installing a Trojan on the phone, the user allows a whole set of uninvited guests into the system, including adware and keyloggers that steal important data. And Trojan programs that act as dialers can make money for their authors by sending SMS messages to premium numbers.
“Browser add-ons and extensions may also contain Trojan horses.”
Android users have become victims of Trojanized applications even if they downloaded programs exclusively from the Google Play store, which checks applications hosted in it and removes unreliable products (although this often happens after another Trojan is discovered). Browser add-ons and extensions may also include Trojan horses, since malicious payloads may be hidden in the program code.
While Google can remove malicious browser add-ons from your computer, the Trojan program can place transparent icons on your phone screen. They are invisible to the user, but respond to touches on the screen, launching malware.
There's good news for iPhone users: Apple's rules restricting access to the App Store, iOS, and apps on the phone are effective in preventing Trojans from being introduced. Infection is possible in the only case: if the user, in pursuit of free programs, jailbreaks the system, allowing him to download applications from websites other than the App Store. Installing unverified applications that do not respect Apple settings makes the system vulnerable to Trojan attacks.
How to remove a Trojan program?
If a Trojan has penetrated your device, then the most universal way to get rid of it and restore the previous functionality of the system is to perform a full system scan using an effective program that can automatically remove malware.
There are many free antivirus programs available, including our products for Windows, Android, and Mac, designed to find and remove adware and malware. In fact, Malwarebytes products detect every known Trojan horse and many other types of malware, as heuristics detect Trojans 80% of the time. In addition, blocking the communication channel between the embedded malware and the secondary server helps prevent infection by new viruses and isolate the Trojan program. The only exception is ransomware protection: to use it, you will need the premium version of our product.
How to protect yourself from Trojans?
To penetrate a computer, Trojan programs strive in one way or another to deceive the user and mislead him. Therefore, you can avoid most attacks by keeping a cool head and following basic cybersecurity rules. Be somewhat skeptical of websites offering free movies or games. Instead of visiting such resources, download free programs directly from the manufacturer's website, rather than from an illegal mirror server.
Another useful precaution is to change the default Windows settings to always display the actual file and application extensions. After this, attackers will not be able to mislead you with the help of seemingly harmless icons.
In addition to installing Malwarebytes for Windows, Malwarebytes for Android and Malwarebytes for Mac, you need to adhere to the following recommendations:
- Run diagnostic tests periodically;
- Enable automatic operating system updates to receive the latest security updates in a timely manner;
- install current application updates to close possible security vulnerabilities;
- avoid questionable or suspicious websites;
- Be skeptical of unverified attachments and links in emails received from unknown senders;
- use complex passwords;
- do not disable the firewall.
How can Malwarebytes Premium protect you?
At Malwarebytes, we take our infection prevention practices extremely seriously, which is why our products aggressively block websites and banner ads that we deem to be fraudulent or suspicious. For example, we block torrent sites, including The Pirate Bay. Since many users have free access to the resources of such websites, some of the files they offer are actually Trojans. For the same reason, we also block cryptocurrency mining carried out using browsers, however, the user can always disable the protection and go to a particular resource.
We believe that it is better to play it safe and choose the most stringent protection option. If you want to take a risk, then it is better to whitelist the site you need. However, do not forget that even the most experienced users can fall for the bait of a cunning Trojan program.
To learn more about Trojan horses, malware, and other cyber threats, please visit the Malwarebytes Labs blog. The information presented there will help you avoid dangerous turns at the crossroads of the World Wide Web.
