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Malware that causes mischief by posing as good software

Summary

A trojan horse is malware that masquerades as a innocent application. The software initially appears to perform a desirable function for the user prior to installation and/or execution, but (perhaps in addition to the expected function) causes a negative effect to the user, such as stealing private information, deleting vital data or disrupting system operations.

Unlike a virus, a Trojan cannot spread itself, relying on human action to copy and execute the program.

Current status

Numerous Trojans are still being made everyday, especially with the current bloom of information media, leading many ignorant people to unknowingly spread it around.

Related Pages

Computer worm

Hacker

Malware

Troll

Virus

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