5 things you didn't know about Trojan viruses

If you are familiar with the world of computing, You probably know that you need to protect your computer from Trojan viruses.…but this type of malware contains some very little-known curiosities, starting with its name. Today we will tell you 5 of them. If you are interested in this topic, we also recommend downloading for free from our guide:

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1. Trojan viruses are not actually computer viruses

Although all types of malicious software are popularly known as “viruses”, there are several different categories within these programs. They all have in common that they intentionally cause harm to the user without their permission. Trojan programs are characterized by "disguising" themselves, posing as an interesting or useful program so that the user installs it voluntarily. Once installed, a Trojan can have all kinds of malicious effects: destruction of data and programs, identity theft, use of computer resources for illegal activities, and so on. Unlike other common types of malware, such as viruses and worms, Trojans generally do not self-propagate, meaning they do not have the ability to create a “contagious infection.”

2. Its name comes from Greek mythology

The name "Trojan" comes from The mythical story of the Trojan horseLegend has it that during the war between the Greeks and the Trojans, the former pretended to abandon the fight and left a wooden horse at the gates of the city. The Trojans believed that the horse was a symbol of their victory, brought it into their city and dedicated themselves to celebrating... until, at nightfall, a battalion of Greek soldiers emerged from the horse, killed the guards and opened the city gates. In this way, the Greeks managed to win the war. Trojan programs have this name because, like the wooden horse, they are a seemingly innocent program in which a threat is hidden.

3. Macs can have trojans

There is a popular belief that Macs are malware-free, but this is not entirely true. Although they are much less vulnerable to viruses than PCs, Apple computers can indeed suffer from the threat of TrojansIn fact, the Flashback Trojan, detected in 2012, is estimated to have infected more than 600.000 Mac computers worldwide.

4. The first famous Trojan was called ARF-ARF

One of the first Trojans in history It was called ARF-ARF and affected IBM computers. This program was downloaded from news bulletin servers and pretended to be able to sort the diskette directory, a very useful feature since at that time the directory was not in alphabetical order. However, what it really did was delete all the files and display the message "ARF-ARF" ("abort, retry fail").

5. Trojans have been used as a CIA sabotage weapon

Since their origins, Trojan programs have been used as a weapon of sabotage by international intelligence services. One of the most well-known cases was the sabotage of the Siberian gas pipeline in 1982, where the CIA installed a Trojan horse in the software used to manage the pipeline before the Soviet Union purchased the program from a Canadian supplier. Related Posts: