A Trojan horse, when used within the context of the world of computing, is a malware that at first glance appears to perform an advantageous function for the user but instead allows access to your computer system without your knowledge or permission. A Trojan horse can also be referred to simply as ‘Trojan’ and is a kind of non-self-replicating malware whose effects can range from mildly annoying to very disruptive, although most Trojan horse removal tools, when used correctly, can solve the problem. The term is coined originally in reference to the Trojan Horse of Greek mythology.
So, how does it work? A Trojan horse is basically designed to work for the hacker’s benefit by providing him remote access to your computer system. Once your PC has been infected with a Trojan horse, it allows the hacker to perform various operations via remote access. The particular functions and operations that a hacker can control are based on your computer system’s administrator privileges and the said Trojan horse’s design.
Various tasks that could be executed by a hacker to compromise the target computer system are the following: Bloating your computer’s storage usage; unauthorized viewing of your computer screen; logging of your keystrokes as in for passwords which could jeopardize your sensitive email or bank accounts; modification and/or complete deletion of files; unauthorized downloading or uploading of programs; unauthorized installation of various software including malware; and using your machine for spam distribution or for performing Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks as part of a botnet. This is why it is imperative that your system has Trojan horse removal tools installed, just in case.
Most antivirus software simultaneously act as Trojan horse removal tools and are sufficiently capable of detecting and eradicating Trojan horses, as well as providing protection to prevent these from being installed in your system in the first place.