How Trojans and Worms Can Harm Your Device

Тowadays, computer security is becoming increasingly important. This happens due to the increasing volume of incoming information, improving the means of its storage, sharing, and processing. The transfer of a considerable part of the data to electronic format and local and global networks create fundamentally new risks to sensitive data.

In this respect, finding and using reliable antivirus for your system can be crucial to keep your data safe and unattached. For example, Webroot for Mac review 2024 can show all features of this protective software and let you decide if it meets your requirements. Let’s see what Trojans can do and why the protection is needed.

Trojans: What They Are

Various kinds of malware and rogue programs nowadays can be hazardous. They are programs that can lead to unauthorized influence on information or devices (systems and networks) with the negative consequences. As a rule, the results of their actions can be different but always harmful for the user:

• copying of information (the original can be preserved) or changing it;
• blocking of data (the impossibility of its using or saving);
• delete data without the possibility of its recovery (shredding);
• computer or network malfunction.

Trojans and worms are two dangerous categories of malware, causing significant harm to devices and data stored.

Trojan types and their specifics

Most Trojans are created to steal personal and sensitive data. Their task is to perform necessary actions that allow getting access to confidential information. Typically, this information contains user passcodes, PIN and CVV codes, bank account information, etc.

The rest of the Trojans directly harms the user’s computer or corporate networks, making it inoperable.

The prevalent Trojan types are:

• Trojan Downloaders (downloaders of malicious programs) used to download newer versions of malicious software or ad systems to the victim computer.
• Trojan-SPY (keyloggers) are Trojans permanently staying in memory and storing all data received from the keyboard. The received data is sent to an attacker.
• Trojan-PSW (password hijackers) are Trojans trying to obtain passwords but do not use keylogging. Typically, such Trojans use a different procedure to extract passwords from archives. Various applications store them.
• Backdoors (remote administration services) are Trojans that enable full remote control of the device or network.
• Trojan-Clickers (browser settings changer) modify browser start and search page and additional settings to provide unauthorized access to phishing, infected, and other malicious Internet resources.
• Trojan-Proxy (anonymous SMTP and proxy servers) work as mail servers or proxies and are used either for spam mailings or by hackers covering up traces.

Some Trojans are capable of independently dealing with the system protection to penetrate and infect the device. In general, a Trojan gets into the system together with a virus or worm, resulting in the user’s incautious behavior or active external attack.

Worms features

A worm is a type of malware distributed through network channels and with the ability to copy itself. The worm can also replicate itself, though sometimes the new copy does not match the original one and causes different harmful consequences. Depending on the ways of infiltrating the operating system, worms are divided into:

• Mail Worms are worms spreading in e-mail messages.
• IM worms operate with instant messengers to infect the device.
• P2P worms disseminate in P2P file-sharing networks.
• IRCWorms are distributed through IRC channels, using the same methods of spreading Mail and IM worms.
• Other Net Worms, including LAN and TCP variations.

Other indicators of difference between worms are methods used to penetrate the system, launch its copy, stealth and polymorphism, and various features specific to different malware types.