Recent History of the Trojan Horse

Posted by akasch
April 7, 2008

The Trojan horse is something out of ancient history that we still use in conversation today. For example, when we call something a Trojan horse we really mean that it is something that is good looking but has an evil intent. A Trojan horse virus is also something that looks good on the outside but has a very evil intent on the inside. Although they have only been around for a short period of time, they have earned a more prominent place in our lives than the wooden Trojan horse from the distant past. Here are some of the first Trojan horse viruses that were encountered.

The first Trojan horse virus that we will discuss is known as the pest trap. It is also more commonly known as Spy Sheriff, and has infected millions of computers around the world. This Trojan horse virus is also classified as malware in that it does not destroy any part of your computer, but it does cause some malicious pop-ups to appear. Most of the times these pop-ups will appear as warnings stating that you need to install some type of software in an attempt to trick you into purchasing that software. Once Spy Sheriff is installed on your computer it is very difficult to remove. If you try to delete it through normal means it will simply reinstall itself from hidden infected files on your computer. Antivirus and anti-spyware software will usually not be able to detect this program. It is also impossible to remove by doing a system restore as it affects the components which operate this feature in Windows.

Sometimes these Trojan horse viruses can come in packages that are seemingly harmless. This is the case in the net bus Trojan horse which was actually software that was meant to be used to remotely control windows from another computer. Because of some problems with the software it was used to hack into several computers. One of the most notable cases was that of a professor in which thousands of child pornography pictures were downloaded to his work computer. Whenever the pictures were discovered it was assumed that he had downloaded them knowingly. Although he was eventually acquitted of the crime, the negative affects on him were long-lasting.

Another problem virus that has had far reaching effects is the Vundo virus. This virus uses a lot of Windows memory at various intervals and also has many pop-ups that tell you that you are missing important system files. It has also been known to cause many messages to appear which tell you that you must install certain various security software, of which many are viruses themselves. This virus is a bit easier to remove than most, as there are many automatic programs written to help you with the process.

There are many different ways that a Trojan horse virus can infect your computer. One thing that all Trojan horse viruses have in common is that they cannot be activated unless you activate the file in which they are hidden. That is why it is so important never to open a file that you are uncomfortable with as it may open the floodgates and allow many different viruses to come in.

To find out more about the history of the Trojan Horse, from ancient Greece to the modern-day computer virus, please visit http://www.trojanhorsefacts.com

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