When I first started researching the Trojan horse virus I became interested on how easy it is for hackers to create them.  For somebody like me it might seem like a difficult task, but for somebody who is skilled with computers it is actually quite simple.  First kind of Trojan Horse I looked up how to make was one you could spread onto the Android market.  There are five steps to create this virus:

1. Download a free app
2. Decompile the code so it is easier to read.
3.   Obtain Java source code that does something bad.
4. Copy the code into your free app and make it run before the app opens
5. Put your new app onto the android market.

Once Android finds your app they will delete, but by then the damage could be done.  Doing this is completely unethical and not recommended since you can get into serious trouble.

I found this video that shows you how to make a Trojan horse like virus that will not do any harm to who you send it to because it won’t damage any files.  He hides the virus within the internet explorer logo which is a good way to it.  It shows you how quickly this could be done.

I was surprised at how much information is available out there for anyone to look at and try.  I feel like that kind of stuff shouldn’t be so easy to access for people.  There are people out there that will take that information and use it for bad.

Sources:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2386813,00.asp

One of the best ways to protect yourself or your company against the virus is to educate your employees or yourself.  Viruses can be harmful to a business for many reasons.  A recent estimate states the worldwide impact of viruses on businesses to be at 17.1 billion dollars.  An average virus attack to a business costs them $10,000.  There is also an estimate that a business can lose up to 50 hours of productivity while trying to fix it. So educating employees is very important.

One of the biggest ways a Trojan Horse can attack is through email.  Knowing what to look is paramount to protection.  Trojan Horse virus will look like an ordinary email.  They usually attack through an attachment in the email.  It is important to teach your employees not to open any unknown attachments.  The picture below shows an example of what a Trojan Horse email might look for.

Hackers will make the email seem that it is very important that you open it.  This message says urgent court notice.  Other email attachments I have seen are bill notices, ecards, or bank notices.  It is vital that you not open the attachment without letting your virus protection software to check it first.

Hackers are finding new and creative ways to hide the virus.  One such example is using Facebook.  A Trojan Horse virus named ZeuS recently made its way onto Facebook.  It would post a video on your wall or into a message to you.  Once you click to view the video the virus would download onto your computer.  It will find your bank information and steal it.  This virus can be protected through any antivirus software.

Businesses are starting to be proactive when it comes to educating their employees.  Some things they are doing include training employees many times to stay up to date with the newest threats.   Businesses are also trying to make the process easier by creating applications that tell the user when to change their password.

Sources:

“Avast! Blog » Phishing.” Avast! Blog » Phishing. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. <https://blog.avast.com/tag/phishing/>.

“Malicious Software: Viruses, Worms, and Trojan Horses.” Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. <http://www.npdn.org/infosec_sw_malware>.

Viruses started to take off in the early to mid 1980s.  As viruses started to expand and become more complex so did the need to protect users from them.  The first antivirus software to be developed was by Bernie Fix in 1987.  In 1988 a virus was sent through an email listing.  John McAfee and Eugene Kaspersky were part of the mailing list and later decided to start their own antivirus software companies.  Today they are two of the most popular software available.

Trojan horse viruses can be harmful to a user.  When on a computer it can steal your passwords, user names, personal information, and your computer files.  Antivirus software can help protect yourself from the Trojan horse virus.

The antivirus software will monitor all of your online activity including your email and web browsing.  It preforms regular scans to make sure that your computer is safe.  Keeping your software updated is a must though.  Without all current updates, the software might be useless against new versions of the virus.  Most new antivirus software’s will automatically update themselves so there is nothing for the user to worry about.

There are some problems that can be caused by the software.  One problem is that it can run down the speed at which your computer runs.  There has also been complaints of false positive results.  The software will say that a file is corrupt when really it is not.   Other problems include new viruses not being detected, the effectiveness of deleting the virus, and  unexpected renewal costs.

All and all the antivirus software is considered to be a must for all users in the protection of the Trojan horse virus and other viruses in general.

Sources:

“Antivirus Software.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Mar. 2014. Web. 03 Apr. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antivirus_software>.

“Cybercrime – Cybercrime Prevention Tips | Norton.” Cybercrime – Cybercrime Prevention Tips | Norton. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2014. <http://us.norton.com/cybercrime-prevention/promo>.

“NetSafe.” NetSafe Cybersafety and Security Advice for New Zealand What Does Antivirus and Antispyware Software Do Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2014. <http://www.netsafe.org.nz/what-does-anti-virus-and-anti-spyware-software-do/>.