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Trojan Horse

              A Trojan horse is a type of malicious software or malware that disguises itself i.e., appears to be a useful
              software  program  but  once  it  reaches  a  computer,  it  starts  behaving  like a  virus  and  destroying  data.
              Such programs often accompany computer games, but unlike worms, they don’t replicate themselves. They
              are activated when the user is busy interacting with entertaining programs or with interface like computer
              games. Some examples of Trojan are Linux, Wifatch, Infostealer, Kronbank, etc.
              To prevent a Trojan Horse virus from entering and infecting a computer, it is advisable not to open spam, email
              attachments, or files that may look attractive and luring, but have been sent by unknown senders on the Internet.

              Spyware
              Spyware is a program that infects and collects information of the computer without the owner’s knowledge
              or  consent.  A spyware  generally  infects a computer  system by  getting  transmitted  through  Internet  via
              websites, webpages, or emails. It intrudes into a computer and silently steals the data from it. In other words,
              it refers to that kind of software which can track the activities of a computer system and report to the users.
              Keylogger is an example of a spyware.

              Spam

              Spam refers to an unwanted and unsolicited message which is received in the inbox of a person’s email
              account or newsgroups. The one who sends the spam is called a spammer. Generally, spam is sent with an
              intention to advertise products and services.

              How can a Computer Get Infected with Virus
                Infected files                                   Infected pen drives

               Infected CD-ROMs/DVD-ROMs                         Through infected file attachment of e-mails
                         Notes


                         1. Computer virus cannot infect files on CD or DVD, if they are closed for writing.
                         2. Computer virus cannot infect computer hardware like, keyboard, mouse, etc.


              Protecting Your Data
              To protect our data from theft and viruses we can take the following measures:

               Update the Antivirus: If some new virus has developed after the installation of the loaded antivirus, then
                 it may not be recognised by the loaded antivirus, and therefore, it may not prevent that virus. In that case,
                 the existing antivirus has to be updated in order to install its latest virus signature and clean new virus. For
                 updating an antivirus, the user needs to connect to its URL. The antivirus would then automatically get
                 updated on the host computer.
               Use Password to Login to your Computer: Always use passwords that are difficult to guess. Passwords
                 are difficult to hack if they are a mix of small letters (a, b, c, d, etc.), capital letters (A, B, C, D, etc.), numbers
                 (8, 7, 6, 5, etc.) and special characters (%, ^, #, $, etc.). This would prevent unauthorised people from
                 accessing  your computer.
               Encrypt Data: This is usually done by banks and companies where important customer information is shared
                 and stored. They can encrypt their entire hard Disc using encrypting feature in Windows (Bitlocker), forcing
                 users to use a decryption password (or key) before starting the computer, thus preventing unauthorised
                 usage.




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