Trojan Horses: Sneaky Attackers

In one of the most famous stories of all time, the ancient Greek armies were arrayed against the city of Troy. While the full story is certainly interesting and contains both intense violence and a sordid love affair, it’s doesn’t really pertain to the rest of this article. Suffice it to say that the Greeks were incapable of defeating the city’s security and were therefore unable to gain access to it. Enter Odysseus. A born schemer, Odysseus came up with a plan that involved taking down Troy from the inside out. All the Greeks had to do was sidestep the city’s security.

In a genius move, the Greeks constructed a giant wooden horse during the night. Inside, the horse was hollow and housed a handful of warriors. The next morning, the Trojans saw the horse but no Greeks. They assumed that the Grecian army had tired of the war and had left the horse as a tribute. They promptly dragged what would later be dubbed the Trojan horse inside the city walls and proceeded to have a seriously crazy peace party. Later that night, once everyone was good and wasted, the Greeks sneaked out of the Trojan horse and took the city. What had seemed an impossible task from the outside was achieved in a few hours. All the Greeks needed was for someone to let them in.

What does this have to do with computers? Well, much like the Greeks in the story, hackers have a hard time breaking into places where they’re not invited. With sophisticated antivirus software, regular virus scans and security updates, hackers have their work cut out for them. Most of the time, much like Odysseus, they have to trick people into letting them in. This leads us to a particular type of malware called a Trojan horse. Sound familiar?

Unlike a virus or a worm, the good news is that Trojan horses do not replicate themselves. That being said, Trojan horses can still do plenty of damage. In fact, the problem with Trojan horses is that they disguise themselves as innocuous software so that they can trick people without an in-depth knowledge of how they work into inviting them inside their computer system. Once there, Trojan horses can install unwanted data or malware, give someone else remote access to your computer or steal your private information.

Much like other harmful software, the key to avoiding Trojan horses is to exercise caution and be prudent while you’re online. Aside from avoiding suspicious emails and not downloading or installing software from websites with which you aren’t familiar, you should also take proactive preventative measures.

Turning on your firewall is a great start to blocking unwanted malware, and antivirus software protection is a must. When using internet security software, make sure that it’s up to date with the latest virus and malware definitions and the latest security updates. If you need help choosing antivirus software or antimalware software, visit TopTenREVIEWS for detailed reviews that break down and compare the critical aspects of a wide variety of security software applications. We can help you find the antivirus software and online protection methods that will work best for your situation.

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