A Trojan is an autonomous program that appears to be performing usual computer functions but the fact is, it is performing underground malicious functions that will in the end, allow unauthorized access to your computer. It does not replicate itself as a worm would do, nor infect other files like what a virus would do.

Manners of infection
Similar to what we know about the mythical Trojan Horse of Troy, a computer Trojan appears to be a gift, a fully functional software or an email attachment, but turns out to be a harmful program that can cause a lot of damage to your computer. The most common means of Trojan infection is through email attachments. The malware developers usually use spam mails to distribute their Trojan to a lot of computers. Another method by which Trojans can be transmitted is through chat softwares like Yahoo! and Skype. Trojans can also be included in the different softwares that you download in the net. Landing on your inbox or your chat software is not enough to launch the Trojan. Trojans are executable programs which mean that you need to open the file before it can perform its actions. We must keep in mind that in Windows, executable programs have file extensions like exe, vbs, com, bat, etc. (more…)

Rootkits are the applications that help hide various malware on your computer. Rootkits were originally intended to help control a failing or unresponsive computer, but today, rootkits are used to help intruders get access to computers and networks without detection. The main objective of a rootkit is to hide the fact that a computer has been infected by malware.

Manners of infection
A rootkit cannot do anything before it is installed in your system. Installation of a rootkit needs the attacker to gain administrator access to your computer, which can be accomplished by having physical access to your system. Furthermore, the installation of a rootkit can also be done by an administrator if it is coupled with a Trojan and you unknowingly launched it.

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and How do I Get Rid of Adware and Spyware?

Advertising-supported software or as it’s more commonly known: adware, is software that automatically views, or downloads different types of advertising material to your computer after the installation of the software, or even while the program is running. Most adware is spyware because it has the ability to keep an eye on your browsing habits to help the intruders gain knowledge on where to place their advertisements. Spyware is software whose sole purpose is to observe and relay a computer user’s behavior and personal information. Contrary to a virus, spyware does not usually self-replicate.

Manners of infection
The most common way for spyware to infest your computer is via careless downloading of software and e-mail attachments. If we mindlessly download and install unknown software, the installer additionally installs spyware without our consent. The distributor of the spyware usually presents the program as a useful utility – rogue antivirus software for example. Users download and install the software without immediately suspecting that it could cause their computer harm. The third way of distributing spyware involves tricking users to “download” the software by clicking on a link which seems to be harmless. (more…)