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Trojan Horse
A Trojan Horse is a program that hides its destructive intentions by disguising itself
as a game, useful application, or utility. It is usually distributed as email attachments
with tempting names and descriptions that prompt a user to open them. It can
delete files from a disk, send your personal information, such as passwords, or give
remote access to your computer to cyber-thieves and hackers. Beast, DarkComet ,and
Zeus are some examples of Trojan Horses.
Knowledge Discovery Subject Enrichment
The term Trojan is derived from the ancient Greek story of the wooden horse that was used to help Greek
troops invade the city of Troy by stealth.
Spyware
Spyware is a software designed to secretly monitor the activities
of and gather data from a computer. It exists as an independent
executable program and often collects confidential data, such
as passwords, PINs, credit card numbers, and email addresses,
records keystrokes, and tracks browsing habits. It forwards the
information to a third party without the consent or knowledge
of the user. A spyware usually gets installed in a computer system
as part of a useful software. Gator, Zango, or CoolWebSearch are
some examples of spyware.
Adware
Adware, or advertising-supported software, downloads or displays
unwanted advertisements on your computer system. It automatically
displays advertisements in order to generate revenue for its author.
It can reduce the productivity and efficiency of a user. It tracks the
browsing habits of a user and redirects search requests to certain
advertising websites. DeskAd, BonziBuddy, and WeatherBug are
some examples of adware.
Apart from malicious software, certain activities are also considered as malware. Some of these activities are:
Spam
Spam is unsolicited and unwanted email. It is usually sent by companies to
advertise and sell their products and services. It may contain malware in the
form of scripts scripts or other executable file attachments. Spam occupies the
storage space in your inbox that is meant for important email.
Phishing
Phishing is a fraudulent practice of sending email which appears to be from a
genuine source, in order to induce individuals to reveal their personal information,
such as passwords, credit card numbers, or other financial details. The email may
contain links to other websites that are infected with malware.
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