To start out, a trojan horse can be described as a type of malware that fools the user into thinking it is performing a desirable function when in reality is doing damage to your system. The trojan can access all of your network connections and delete necessary registry files, which are necessary to make your computer run properly. This type of virus can completely destroy your operating system if you are not careful of what you are doing on your system. If infected you may have to completely reinstall your operating system and much, if not all, of the data on your hard drive could be destroyed beyond repair.
Now, let’s discuss how a trojan can really make its way into your operating system. There are several ways this can happen such as: downloaders (like those to download music and movies), email attachments, and websites with Activex control. It really isn’t a good idea to install any kind of unknown downloader onto your system and peer to peer networks are well known for causing trojans; If you don’t know where it’s coming from, don’t download it. Email attachments are a touchy subject as well, but a good rule of thumb is to only open attachments from people you know. I cannot stress this enough, if you don’t know what it is, don’t open it. Now, Activex controls on websites are everywhere so my suggestion would only to allow Activex on reputable websites. If you don’t, you may be sorry in the long run.
Your best method of preventing a trojan is internet security. These can range from relatively inexpensive to the highest end you can find. Sometimes the best isn’t always the most expensive, so do your research to find the best security for your specific system. By purchasing internet security, which includes antivirus software, you can prevent yourself from having to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to repair your system or even purchase a new one. However, to make sure that your antivirus and Internet security service is running efficiently, you must keep it updated on a regular basis to have the most up to date list of viruses and malware.
Being a victim of this devastating virus can be both the common user and to a business. So please be aware and use caution on the internet. There really is nothing worse than losing your livelihood just because you weren’t cautious.