Trojans are seemingly useful pieces of software that are installed on your computer and unknown to the user contains malware. Trojans viruses where more popular in the early 2000’s when users used to search for license key cracks, to use expensive software for free. Often the Trojan would enable expensive software to work for some time, but in the meanwhile would infect your computer.
Today, the most common Trojan viruses are spread through illegal film and TV streaming and sharing websites. Users downloading films or TV shows think they are getting a video file, but actually, end up with nasty malware. Or on streaming websites, the video player looks like it is about to play content but then asks the user to download a file in order for the video to work. It turns out, that download is actually malware.
Spotting Trojans before they get on your computer
- Any free download for something that is usually paid for should be avoided
- Any downloads that are required on untrustworthy video streaming websites to watch videos should be avoided
How to stay protected against Trojans
Using TotalAV Real-Time Protection will prevent trojans from getting on your computer in the first place. Running regular Anti-virus scans, either manually or through a defined schedule, will ensure any trojans on your computer are stopped and removed.