A Trojan Horse is More Than Just a Statue
33574
Computers > Software
Jun 21, 2007
gippy130
A Trojan Horse is More Than Just a Statue
At some point during school you probably learned about Odysseus's brilliant plan to sneak soldiers into his enemy's city in the guise of a magnificent statue of a horse-the famous Trojan horse, to be exact. It's a great story, and the plan was such a great tactical maneuver that, unfortunately, hackers have adapted it to suit their malicious attacks against your computer. A Trojan horse, in the computer world, is a seemingly harmless program that delivers an unwanted, unsafe program that can have dire consequences. Unlike a computer virus, though, a Trojan horse relies on the user to complete some sort of action that triggers the program. So, like Odysseus's Trojan horse being pulled inside the city walls, you have to open or install the item to release the harmful program, like Odysseus's soldiers swarming out of the statue. Trojan horses come in two common forms. The first is as a program that, though normally useful, has been altered by a hacker who has entered in dangerous coding that will initiate when the program is used. For example, you might install a program on your PC that tells you what the weather forecast for your town is. That seems like a pretty useful tool, and it would be if a hacker hadn't used it as a disguise for programming that will slow your computer down or cause a number of other damaging effects. The other type of Trojan horse is an independent program that seems to be one thing, like a picture or game. However, when you run the program, you're tricked into performing some task that allows the Trojan to initiate. For example, the "game" might open a box that asks if you want to install a certain component of the game. Regardless of whether you click "yes" or "no," the program will deliver the payload, or effects, of the Trojan horse. Trojan horses can cause a number of different problems for you and your computer. One particularly dangerous problem is the theft of information. Some Trojan horses can trick your computer into marking a fraudulent site as one that is safe. So, you might think you're entering personal information, such as passwords or credit card numbers, into a banking site. However, the recipient of the information isn't your bank-it's a hacker. Similarly, Trojan horses can be used to actually record the keys you strike on your keyboard so that hackers get a readout of user names and passwords you type. Or, they might dig through your computer to find and copy, change, or delete certain files. Trojan horses might also cause seemingly minor annoyances, like pop-ups. Many of these pop-ups aren't designed to just annoy you, though; they're meant to trick you into clicking on them and accessing a fraudulent website. Fortunately, when you know what Trojan horses are and how they work, there are many steps you can take to protect yourself. First, be mindful of how you communicate online, including the emails you open and where you post your email address. Never use your primary email address on large Internet directories, like sites used for job searches. If you receive an email from an email address you don't recognize, don't open it. Try to find out who the message is from first and, if you can't, simply delete it; a missed message that was legitimate is much less of a threat than the dangers it can open your computer to. When you set up your email preferences, don't allow your computer to automatically open attachments. Trojan horses frequently arrive as attachments to messages, and they might even appear to be from someone you know since many hackers are able to steal addresses right out of the email address book. One of the most important things you can do to protect yourself is to purchase and use good virus protection software and a firewall. Because new threats pop up every day, it's imperative that you update your software frequently. Most companies offering these types of software allow free update downloads or a subscription service for updates. So, now you know that a Trojan horse isn't just a statue from an ancient story, it's a real threat. It's up to you to take the steps that are necessary to protect your computer and your privacy.
While surfing the internet I found "XoftSpySE" which did an excellent job cleaning up and optimizing my PC. This program saved me a lot of time and frustration by getting rid of some high risk items that found their way into my computer. Get a free scan at http://www.easywayincome.com
send email to gippy130
send email to gippy130
Write a Review
Add to My Favorite
Refer it to Friend
Report Article
Other links owned by this user
A Trojan horse, in the computer world, is a seemingly harmless program that delivers an unwanted, unsafe program that can have dire consequences. Unlike a computer virus, though, a Trojan horse relies on the user to complete some sort of action that trigg
Category:
There's a lot of buzz on the Internet about affiliate marketing and its potential to make a great deal of money for those who know how to do it right. Today, affiliates around the world earn an annual combined total of $6.5 billion dollars in commissions
Category:
Adware, simply put, is any software that plays, displays, or downloads advertisements to your computer. While that sounds fairly harmless, adware can actually slow down your computer or cause it to display some pretty objectionable advertising.
Category:
More and more people are turning to work-from-home jobs to add some extra spending money to their households or even to provide their entire income. There are so many options out there that almost anyone can find an opportunity that will work well for the
Category:
More and more people are turning to the Internet as a means to make a living, or to add to their income from a regular nine-to-five job. In fact, recent estimates indicate more than 40 million Americans are looking to start a home-based business through t
Category:
Your computer might be collecting your personal information and passing it on to companies and people anywhere in the world. That is because there might be spyware on your computer without you even knowing it.
Category:
Where you stand on affiliate marketing may depend on your personal experience with it and on what you've heard from others. However, learning more about affiliate marketing and finding a good program could change the opinion of even the most insistent opp
Category:
Having spent even just a little time on the Internet, you're probably aware of the term SEO, which stands for search engine optimization. However, if you're like many people, you might have only a rudimentary understanding of what SEO is and how it works.
Category:
AdWords are those little boxed advertisements that appear on the right side of your screen (and sometimes at the top) every time you perform a search on Google. AdWords is an advertising program created by Google and is Google's major source of revenue.
Category:
Other links at Computers > Software
Business software solutions come in many shapes and sizes. Choosing the right ss software solutions at the start will save you a lot of time. Time you can spend growing and developing your ss. Here are a few tips. Keep your
Category:
When computers begin running slowly, most people take it for granted. They think that the computer must be just burdened with some software, or must be finding it difficult to do a particular task.
Category:
If you want to use the internet for your business especially online business, it will be a good idea to get some sort of protection.
Category:
Why you shouldn't trust free software. The pitt falls of downloading free adware removers and how to over come this problem.
Category:
Learn how to go about doing a windows registry scan to improve your systems performance.
Category:
Site Sponsor
Directory Statistics
Articles: 68228
Categories: 501
Yahoo Entertainment
