As a result, modern malware began to take shape. The threat landscape became a mixed environment shared by viruses, worms and Trojans—hence the name "malware" as an umbrella term for malicious software.
One of the most serious epidemics of this new era was the LoveLetter, which appeared on May 4, As Securelist notes, it followed the pattern of earlier email viruses of the time, but unlike the macro viruses that had dominated the threat landscape since , it didn't take the form of an infected Word document, but arrived as a VBS file. It was simple and straightforward, and since users hadn't learned to be suspicious of unsolicited emails, it worked.
Since the message often came to new victims from someone familiar, they were more likely to open it, making ILOVEYOU a proof-of-concept for the effectiveness of social engineering. The Code Red worm was a "file less" worm—it existed only in memory and made no attempt to infect files on the system.
Taking advantage of a flaw in the Microsoft Internet Information Server, the fast-replicating worm wreaked havoc by manipulating the protocols that allow computers to communicate and spread globally in just hours. Eventually, as noted in Scientific American , compromised machines were used to launch a distributed denial of service attack on the Whitehouse. One of the most recent of the major viruses came out in , Heartbleed burst onto the scene and put servers across the Internet at risk.
Heartbleed, unlike viruses or worms, stems from a vulnerability in OpenSSL, a general purpose, open source cryptographic library used by companies worldwide. OpenSSL periodically sends out "heartbeats" to ensure that secure endpoints are still connected. Users can send OpenSSL a specific amount of data and then ask for the same amount back—for example, one byte. As cybercrime entered the s, the greed continued, but hackers started thinking bigger.
The rise of untraceable cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin led to a rise in ransomware attacks. In , the Cryptolocker Trojan horse was discovered. Cryptolocker encrypts the files on a user's hard drive and demands a ransom payment to the developer in order to receive the decryption key.
Later that same year, a number of copycat ransomware Trojans were also discovered. The s have also seen a shift in how victims are targeted. While many Trojans still use a blanket approach, attempting to infect as many users as possible, a more targeted approach seems to be on the rise. Many of the Trojans we hear about today were designed to target a specific company, organization, or even government. In , Stuxnet , a Windows Trojan, was detected.
It was the first worm to attack computerized control systems, and there are suggestions that it was designed to target Iranian nuclear facilities. In , Tiny Banker Trojan Tinba made headlines.
In , the Emotet Trojan , once a banking Trojan in its own right, was seen to be delivering other types of malware, including other Trojans. As one of the oldest and most common ways to deliver malware, the history of Trojans follows the history of cybercrime itself.
The days of pranks are long gone. Instead, they continue to be serious cybercriminal tools used mostly for data stealing, espionage, and Distributed Denial of Service DDoS attacks. Here are some common threats that come from Trojan attacks:. They attack mobile devices as well , which makes sense given the tempting target presented by the billions of phones in use. Such Trojans usually lurk on unofficial and pirate app markets, enticing users to download them. The Trojans run the full gamut of mischief, infecting the phone with ads and keyloggers, which can steal information.
Dialer Trojans can even generate revenue by sending out premium SMS texts. While Google can remove browser add-ons from computers, on phones the Trojans can place transparent icons on the screen. The only exception occurs for those who jailbreak their phones in their quest to download freebies from sites other than the App Store.
Installing risky apps outside the Apple settings makes you vulnerable to Trojans. Once a Trojan infects your device, the most universal way to clean it up and restore it to a desired state is to use a good quality, automated anti-malware tool and make a full system scan. If you're worred about a Trojan infection, you can try our free Trojan scanner to check your device.
There are many free antivirus and anti-malware programs—including our own products for Windows, Android, and Mac—which detect and remove adware and malware. We even help mitigate additional infection by cutting off communication between the inserted malware and any backend server, which isolates the Trojan.
Our free malware tool will scan and remove existing malware, and our premium product will proactively scan and protect against malware like Trojans, viruses, worms , and ransomware. You can start with a free trial of our premium products to test them out for yourself. Since Trojans rely on fooling users into letting them into the computer, most infections are avoidable by remaining vigilant and observing good security habits.
Another precaution to consider: change the default Windows settings so that the real extensions of applications are always visible. This avoids getting tricked by an innocent looking icon. Other good practices besides installing Malwarebytes for Windows , Malwarebytes for Android , and Malwarebytes for Mac include:.
At Malwarebytes, we are serious about infection prevention, which is why we aggressively block both websites and advertisements that we consider fraudulent or suspicious. For example, we block torrent sites like The Pirate Bay. Though many savvy users have used such sites without issue, some of the files they offer for download are really Trojans. For similar reasons, we also block cryptomining through browsers, but the user can choose to turn off the block and connect.
The Trojan horse gave them the access they had been wanting for a decade. A Trojan virus, similarly, can be a good way to get behind an otherwise tight set of defenses. The Trojan horse appeared to be a legitimate gift. In a similar vein, a Trojan virus looks like legitimate software. How Do Trojans Work? Most Common Types of Trojan Malware. The most common types of Trojan used include: Backdoor Trojan : A backdoor Trojan enables an attacker to gain remote access to a computer and take control of it using a backdoor.
This enables the malicious actor to do whatever they want on the device, such as deleting files, rebooting the computer, stealing data, or uploading malware.
A backdoor Trojan is frequently used to create a botnet through a network of zombie computers. It attempts to steal account data for credit and debit cards, e-payment systems, and online banking systems. Distributed denial-of-service DDoS Trojan : These Trojan programs carry out attacks that overload a network with traffic.
It will send multiple requests from a computer or a group of computers to overwhelm a target web address and cause a denial of service. Downloader Trojan : A downloader Trojan targets a computer that has already been infected by malware, then downloads and installs more malicious programs to it. This could be additional Trojans or other types of malware like adware. Exploit Trojan : An exploit malware program contains code or data that takes advantage of specific vulnerabilities within an application or computer system.
The cyber criminal will target users through a method like a phishing attack, then use the code in the program to exploit a known vulnerability.
Fake antivirus Trojan : A fake antivirus Trojan simulates the actions of legitimate antivirus software. The Trojan is designed to detect and remove threats like a regular antivirus program, then extort money from users for removing threats that may be nonexistent.
Game-thief Trojan : A game-thief Trojan is specifically designed to steal user account information from people playing online games. Infostealer Trojan : This malware can either be used to install Trojans or prevent the user from detecting the existence of a malicious program.
The components of infostealer Trojans can make it difficult for antivirus systems to discover them in scans. Mailfinder Trojan : A mailfinder Trojan aims to harvest and steal email addresses that have been stored on a computer.
The attacker will then hold the user or organization ransom until they pay a ransom fee to undo the device damage or unlock the affected data. The cyber criminal maintains access to the device through a remote network connection, which they use to steal information or spy on a user. Its purpose is to stop malicious programs from being detected, which enables malware to remain active on an infected computer for a longer period. This includes logging their keyboard actions, taking screenshots, accessing the applications they use, and tracking login data.
Victims were compromised by trojanized versions of a legitimate SolarWinds digitally signed file named: SolarWinds.
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