This week we continue the Know thy enemy series, and we talk about Trojans.
So what are Trojans? Now, we are not talking about the rubber
balloons that come in the square wrapper. We are going to talk
about the malicious virus's that infect your computer. So let's
define what a Trojan is, a Trojan is a virus that can infect
either any form of technology, what it does is it describes itself
as a legitimate piece of software or code that once on a device it
can give attackers the access they need to export files, modify
data, delete files, or just plain alter the contents on the device
it is infecting. They might use different types of tactics to get
you to fall victim, like social engineering, spoofing or
phishing. Trojans can come packed into game downloads, software
tools for your device, apps, or even software patches.
So how can you protect against Trojans? The best and easiest
way is to keep your security software up-to-date. No matter what
you are using, if you do not have your security software up-to-date,
then you can easily fall victim. The patches that put in these
up-dates is because they found new threats, that without the patch
leaves you vulnerable. But just keeping your security software
up-to-date is not enough, it takes some know-how and restraint
from you. Here are a couple of tips, firstly downloading any
pirated media (music, movies, games, books, software, etc.) could
potentially be Trojans. The attacker is looking for you to be
like “Hey want to check out the new Spider-Man movie for free,
just click this link it's super safe and legit”. Secondly, you can
get it from unsolicited means like scam emails or text messages
that have an attachment or link to click on. They can seem like
they are coming from a familiar source, but be careful and
vigilant. Thirdly, only access website with the beginning of
HTTPS. The S is very important because it means it is secure, and
keeps you safe. Lastly, never sign in to an account if after you
clicked on something it pops open a new tab or window and asks you
to sign in, if you need to sign in go to the actual website and do
it. That way you know that you are not possibly signing in to a
spoof site just used to get your credentials.
I hope this opens your eyes to how bad Trojan virus's can be and what type of havoc they can wreck. As always if you have any questions feel free to message me. Thank you and have a great week.
