Trojan

Trojan, also known as a Trojan Horse, is a type of malicious software designed to secretly steal sensitive information or disrupt the performance of a system. It is named after the Trojan Horse of Greek mythology, because just like the proverbial horse, the malware appears to be beneficial, but is actually malicious.

Trojans are typically installed on a computer when a user is tricked into downloading a legitimate-looking file that is actually a malicious program in disguise. Once the program is on the system, the hacker has full control and access to the information stored on it.

The most common use of Trojans is for data theft. For example, a hacker could use it to gain access to confidential files or to monitor keystrokes in order to steal passwords and credit card numbers. Trojans can also be used to spread other types of malicious software, such as viruses and ransomware, through the infected system.

Another risk posed by Trojans is that they can be used to carry out distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, which involve flooding a system or network with requests, overwhelming it and preventing it from functioning properly.

The best way to protect against Trojans is to be very cautious about the downloaded files and email attachments. It is also important to make sure the system is up-to-date by regularly installing the latest security patches and to use reliable antivirus software.