A Trojan Horse is a type of cyber attack that allows hackers to gain access to your device, steal your data and spy on your activity.

This malware is named after the ancient Greek myth of the Trojan Horse that the Greeks hid inside to sneak into the city of Troy. It plays on the fact that the malware hides in plain sight by pretending to be legitimate software.

Just like in the Trojan Horse story, this kind of malware opens the door for malicious software to infect your computer and do untold damage.

In our latest blog, we explore what Trojan Horse malware is, how it works and what action you can take to prevent it.

What is a Trojan Horse

Trojan horse is a type of malicious software that downloads onto your computer by disguising itself as a legitimate programme to gain access to your systems.

Trojans can:

• Delete or corrupt data

• Steal data

• Monitor internet and keystroke activity

• Damage your computer performance

How does it work

Unlike a virus that can self-replicate, a Trojan is a type of malware that cannot duplicate itself and must be specifically downloaded onto a device and executed in order for it to work.

Trojan software is usually delivered to your device through social engineering attacks like phishing emails. Once the Trojan has infected your device, it can spy on your activity, keystrokes and steal your data.

Common methods of infection include:

• Accepting malicious pop-ups

• Exploiting out-of-date software or operating systems

• Downloading materials that have been corrupted like photos or documents

Traditionally malware like this has always targeted devices with Windows Operating Systems. However, we are now seeing a dramatic rise in the number of Mac products falling victim to this malware.

Common types of Trojan

Trojans are an increasingly popular method of attack for cybercriminals because of their versatility and effectiveness.

Here are some of the most common types of Trojan:

• Backdoor Trojan – This is one of the most common and most effective kinds of Trojan. It allows the hacker to gain remote access to the device which means they can steal your private data or download further malware.

• DDoS Trojan – This kind of Trojan repeatedly sends requests to a server to overload it with network traffic. Once overloaded, the server cannot fulfil any request so denies service to legitimate users.

• Downloader Trojan – Downloader Trojans target devices that have already been infected by malware to then download further malware like ransomware.

• Banking Trojan – Banking Trojans target a user’s bank account and financial information. This kind of malware attempts to steal credit card and login information.

• False Antivirus Trojan – This Trojan disguises itself specifically as anti-virus software. In reality, it is a kind of ransomware that demands ransom payment for the safe return of data.

Defend your data

The best way to prevent a trojan attack is to implement robust cyber security defences and follow responsible cyber hygiene practices.

Knowing how to spot the signs of social engineering attacks, false pop-ups and fraudulent downloads is an important first step in defending against Trojans. Social engineering is one of the most common ways a hacker will target its victims, so staff training and vigilance is essential.

Strong passwords and multi-factor authentication are another essential step to keeping your devices and online accounts secure. Multi-factor authentication makes it far more difficult for hackers to gain access to your sensitive information by creating an additional layer of security for them to bypass.

It is also a smart move to make regular backups of your data and to keep all your devices and operating systems up to date.

To hear more about how to protect your devices and sensitive data, get in touch with one of the friendly OX IT Solutions team today to find out how we can help.

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