Cybersecurity is more than just about compliance. Yes, compliance does matter, but as a smart business, the idea is to be proactive and ahead of cybercriminals. One of the first steps is to identify the various security threats that loom large over your company. Hackers often rely on malware to cause damage, and among the common malware types is trojan horse. What exactly is a trojan? What’s the purpose of such malware? Below is a quick overview of trojan horse.
The malware in disguise
Simply called a trojan, a trojan horse is a malware that comes off as a legitimate software. Trojans are often used to launch backdoor attacks. The user is tricked into downloading and installing the trojan, which then is used to gain administrative access to a system or network. Hackers may have different intentions to use a trojan. This could be related to deleting & blocking data, spying, to cause further malware attacks, or impact networks or computers. Trojans have the ability to replicate, just like worms, and since backdoor attacks are often hard to detect, the damage is already done by the time things are detected.
How to detect trojans?
If your system or network has a trojan, it will perform in a similar way, just like other malware types. You may find that device is running slower than usual, often unexpectedly, and there are frequent crashes. There could be strange device behavior, as well, besides popups and other unwanted ads. If the trojan has managed to install another malware, such as a ransomware, data may not be accessible.
How to prevent trojan attacks?
There are a few basic steps that every company can consider to prevent trojan attacks. First and foremost, all software & firmware must be updated to the latest versions, and networked devices must be placed behind firewalls. Since trojans have the ability to replicate, network segmentation, which divides network resources on different subnetworks to create firebreaks, can be useful. Check for anti-malware software, which can help in detecting trojans, and make sure that your employees know about safe browsing, how to recognize phishing scams, and ways to handle emails, links and attachments that may contain trojan, or other malware.
Trojans are not hard to avoid. All it takes is safer browsing. If you have any questions related to trojans, consider talking to your cybersecurity experts, and don’t forget to conduct workshops to train your employees.
