What is a Trojan?
In computing terms a Trojan or Trojan horse is malicious software that disguises itself as or within a safe program. Unlike other types of malware, such as Viruses or Worms, Trojans typically don’t try to copy themselves or continue to infect other computers.
What dangers can Trojans pose?
Trojans can potentially access and modify any part of your system that is accessible to you as a user. That means that amongst other things they could read sensitive information, delete files, or attempt to crash/corrupt vital parts of your computer. Some particularly invasive trojans such as Sub7 give the attacker full remote access to your computer. This allows them to operate the camera, micropohone, and access any and all files on the device.
How do you prevent/remove Trojans?
As with all malware, ensure you always have antivirus software installed and up to date. Any fully featured antivirus software will warn you before downloading any files that are potentially malicious, with Trojans being a key danger they are watching for. If you suspect you have already downloaded a Trojan, manually run a full system scan with your installed antivirus software and follow the steps provided to remove any that are found.