What is a Trojan?

We explain what a Trojan is and the ways it can be eliminated. How to protect ourselves from this malicious software and what is spyware.

1. What is a Trojan?

A Trojan (or Trojan  horse ) is a term used in computer science  that refers to the Trojan horse  used by Trojans in Homer’s Odyssey.

It is used in computer science to identify a type of virus or  malicious software that is given to the user with a harmless or legitimate aspect but, when executed, provides remote access of the affected computer to whoever created said Trojan.

In other words, it allows another person to access the information on the computer by executing that malicious file. A Trojan also receives the name of  malware  that means  malicious file .

Remote access means that whoever  has access to the computer does so by generating a  backdoor  or backdoor , through which he runs the infected computer without being physically present.

The purposes of a Trojan will depend on the person who created the software . However, they are almost always created to steal personal data.

Some of the purposes of the Trojans are:

• Use the computer to send  spam
• Installation of other malicious programs
• Shut down and / or restart the computer
• Take screenshots
• Keyboard keystrokes
• Extract photos from the webcam
• Erase or damage the hard drive
• Steal access data and confidential information and then forward it

Trojans are widely used by virtual or  cyber criminals  to access confidential data, account theft and, mainly, money theft.

Some of the guidelines that indicate that a team has a Trojan are:

• The computer restarts only
• The system works very slowly
• The operating system may not start
• Team files disappear
• Let windows open with advertising and / or pornography.

2. How to removed  a Trojan?

• The first thing to do is download and install an updated antivirus.
• Then it is essential to disconnect the computer from the Internet whether it is connected to the network via  Wi-Fi , with an ADSL modem or a network card.
• Open the Internet browser (although offline) and then clear the cache  and cookies. It is important to do this step with each browser that is used. For example, if you have the Google  Chrome  or  Mozilla Firefox browser installed it   is essential to clean cookies and cache in each of these before moving on to the next step.
• Then switch off the computer and start it in ” Safe fal the s “. To access this option, you must press the F8 key   as soon as the computer is starting and the Windows logo appears .
• Subsequently, a scan of the equipment must be performed. This may take several minutes since the antivirus will check all files on the computer for any malicious ones.
• When the antivirus finishes, the harmful files that it has detected will be displayed, giving the user the option to delete, quarantine or ignore the files found. You should always choose the option to delete or quarantine.
• Then the same antivirus will request that the computer be restarted.
• Then you must connect to the internet.
• It is recommended to run  Windows  Update  to download those updates that are recommended for the computer according to each case.

3. How to protect  a Trojan?

It is important to keep in mind some tips or recommendations to avoid opening a Trojan software.

• Do not open files that arrive by email except those of which the user is completely sure that they do not contain viruses, that is, it is important to know the sender of the person who sends said files before opening them.
• Do not visit doubtful or unknown websites .
• Be careful when downloading files using sharing programs such as  P2P  ( Peer  to  Peer ). It is always recommended to first scan each file with antivirus before opening it and then downloading it.
• Always keep Windows updates using  Windows  Update .
• Update the antivirus frequently as new updates always arise.
• Perform periodic scans with the antivirus.
• Use  Firewall  (firewall). This is a security device that operates between networks preventing malicious transmissions from one network to another.
• It is advisable to never install a program if the manufacturer is unknown.
• Use different browsers: for example switch from  Internet Explorer  to  Google  Chrome .

4. What is spyware ?

Spyware or spyware is a type of  application that is installed on a computer without the user’s consent in  order to collect the information on it and then share it with other people for commercial purposes.

The information provided by spyware is in relation to the URLs  visited, purchases made by electronic means, bank or personal account information, reinstall phone bookmarks, etc.

On the other hand, spyware  impairs the functioning of the equipment by slowing down the connection  since it consumes bandwidth, in addition to slowing down the operation of the equipment in general by consuming space on it.

There are two types of spyware: one internal and one external.

Internal spyware is one whose application internally has lines of code in order to collect data . External spyware uses independent programs that collect information. Inside the external spyware you can find:

• Keyloggers A hacker spies the information and detects the keystrokes that the user carries out .
• Adware. This program acts by displaying advertisements or advertisements in the form, mostly, of pop-up windows. When the user opens the ad and loads their data, they are sent to the hacker who uses this information for malicious purposes.
• Browser hijacking. The latter is, of the three mentioned, the least harmful but the most annoying since it is intended to fill the homepage of advertisements.

Features that a spyware entered a computer

• Information or advertising appears on the computer suddenly
• Change the toolbar without the user having made such changes
• The main page is modified without making such changes.

Mostly a spyware is self-installed controlling the movements that the user makes continuously in the computer. In many cases the spy program is hosted on the computer through the free installation of a software or they can also arrive via unwanted emails or fake websites.

What differentiates a common virus of spyware is that viruses try to replicate on other computers while the program spy does not.