A Trojan horse is a computer program that performs one function while appearing to perform another. Trojan horses are notorious for their use in installing backdoor programs to allow unauthorized access of a computer system by another program or hacker.
A Trojan horse program may infect a computer by posing as a screensaver because the application runs constantly in the background. Once installed, it can place all sorts of commands, programs and scripts on a computer without the user's knowledge. The most common purposes of malicious Trojan horses are to run downloaders and servers on the end-user's system. They are also used to launch remote denial-of-service attacks.
Trojan horses do not have to be malicious and may be used to install legitimate software and manage computer systems. They are also used in law enforcement for surveillance and computer forensics.
Safeguard a computer network against Trojan horses by:
- Setting up a routine for employees to follow;
- Installing software to seek and destroy Trojans;
- Searching manually for Trojan horses.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Perform general Trojan horse removal by following some basic procedures
Trojan horses must modify many of the same system files to be successful. You can control many Trojan horses on a network by requiring users to follow certain steps on a regular basis.
I recommend: Follow the instructions at
Symantec for a good general purpose attack on Trojan horses.
Macworld offers a general primer on detecting Trojan horses for the Mac OS X.
Buy Trojan horse detection software
Trojan horse detection software uses two basic methods to detect Trojan horses. The software may compare suspect code to a signature list that contains the identifying characteristics of known Trojan horses. Trojan remover software also may look for the type of behavior that a Trojan horse frequently exhibits.
I recommend: Look for small business and enterprise solutions to Trojan horse removal at
Symantec. It is one of the most experienced companies for Trojan horse removal software.
Spybot is a free Trojan removal tool that specializes in removing spyware, a type of Trojan horse virus that monitors user activity.
Remove specific Trojan horses
A Trojan horse may have to be removed manually if your Trojan horse removal software does not have it in its signature list. While a Trojan horse remover generally has its signature list updated each month, you may need to visit a forum to find a solution to your Trojan horse infection.
I recommend: Find extensive discussions on removing specific Trojan horses at the
Bleeping Computer forums. These forums are heavily trafficked and receive hundreds of posts on Trojan horses each day.
Techspot.com also provides current information on the latest Trojan horses.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- Take some steps that your Trojan horse remover will not be able to perform well. Check the running processes on your computer frequently. Look for processes with unfamiliar names, especially those that seem to be composed of random letters.
- Be alert for prolonged and continuous disk activity when your computer should be idle. While this frequently indicates that you are simply low on disk space, it can also mean that your computer is being used as a server.
The official source of Trojan Horse Removal is the Trojan Horse page at Business.com
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