More than ever, we must be vigilant to prevent any type of malicious code from reaching our computer. In these lines we are going to focus on one of the most common types of malware for decades, we are referring to Trojans.
Depending on their nature and original design, the different types of malicious code that can reach our equipment have a very varied objective. Surely on more than one occasion many of you have found yourself faced with the unpleasant situation that one of these has invaded your computer.
There is malware that simply interferes with the use of the PC, while others block access to it or try to steal all types of stored information. Next we are going to talk to you about the aforementioned Trojans, which you have surely heard about on more than one occasion.
What is a Trojan virus
Their nomenclature precisely comes from the popular Trojan Horse in mythology, as they are also known in many areas. Well, when we talk about a Trojan virus we are referring to a specific type of malware that usually disguises itself as legitimate software in order to enter our computer without us realizing it.
Furthermore, we could say that it is one of the most dangerous malicious codes for many years due to the different objectives for which it is designed. On many occasions we find ourselves infected by a Trojan that has been hiding on our computer for an enormous amount of time, without us being aware of it.
The sources used by attackers to infect our PC with a virus of this type are very varied. Trojans can reach us through downloading originally legitimate software, through email attachments, files shared on P2P networks, and more.
Main objectives of this malware
We have already told you before that depending on the type of malicious code that reaches our device, its damage may be greater or lesser. In fact, all of this can vary greatly, and we Trojans should not be taken lightly.
We tell you all this because attackers normally use this type of malicious code, in principle to access user systems. As a general rule, they use some type of social engineering in order to trick potential victims into loading and running these Trojans on their computers through some apparently legitimate software.
Thus, once they have been activated, the Trojan viruses we are talking about here allow attackers to spy on our movements in order to steal our personal data. All of this using a backdoor in the system to get to work without us being aware of anything. This means that, once the Trojan has been installed on our PC, we continue using it as if nothing was happening.
This means that we access email or the bank’s website with the corresponding credentials, as always. However, the Trojan itself is there to take this authentication data and send it to a remote server.
Types of Trojans that can infect us
This malware format has been with us for decades, although before they were much less complex than now. We find, therefore, multiple types of Trojans that can reach our computers, in most cases to obtain private data.
Hence, below we are going to show you some of the most common in these times and some can infect at any time if we do not take certain precautions.
- Exploits.
- Banking Trojans.
- Clampi Trojan.
- Back door.
- DDoS Trojan.
- Malware installer.
- GameThief.
- Geost.
Tips to avoid these malicious codes
Users over the years have accumulated a good amount of experience to avoid the arrival of these viruses. But at the same time, the attacks, as they occur with the Trojans that we mention here, are becoming more and more complex to deceive us.
Basically, this means that we should take certain general precautions to prevent these and other malicious codes from reaching our devices. Especially in Windows, we should always have an antivirus installed and kept updated, whether it is the one offered by Microsoft itself or any other.
Likewise, we should be wary, since it is unofficial and suspicious web pages when downloading any program on our computer. It must be taken into account that no one gives anything away, including programs that are normally paid. At the same time, we must be attentive to the attachments that we receive by email, whether from known or unknown sources. It is worth mentioning that these protection and precautionary measures are extendable to both Trojans and many other types of malicious code.
