Elain Brown Tech 06.20.2022 16:Jun PM EDT

These Are the Signs That Your PC Has the Trojan Virus — How to Get Rid of Them?

The Trojan horse is a popular and one of the most common types of malware we often hear about everywhere.

According to McAfee, malware in the form of a Trojan horse is a file, program, or section of code that masquerades as genuine and risk-free when, in reality, it is malicious.

In Greek mythology, a Trojan is a hollow wooden horse that the Greeks hid inside during the Trojan war. This wooden horse was a bait to Trojans, deceiving them it was a gift. When the wooden horse entered the walled city, this was the perfect chance for Greeks to come out and attack while people were sleeping.

Just like the wooden horse, trojan malware deceives users by pretending to be legitimate software or sometimes attached files or in a form or emails. Once you open and install it successfully, it can control your computer and obtain data. This can happen to smartphones and laptops as well.

Many Trojans will also download further malicious software after being installed on your computer. A trojan is a software programmed to injure, disrupt, steal, or inflict any other activity that could be considered damaging to your data or network.

Trojans come in a wide variety of flavors, the most common of which are banking Trojans, backdoor Trojans, DDoS Trojans, dropper or downloader Trojans, exploit Trojans, fake antivirus Trojans, Trojan-GameThief, Trojan-Ransom, and many others besides.

Trojan horses are a form of malware, but they are not the same thing as viruses. This is because viruses and Trojans infect their victims in fundamentally different ways. As opposed to viruses, which may replicate themselves and spread from one host to another, Trojans require human intervention to be installed.

Signs That Your PC Has Trojan

Lagging computer experience- having a slow-running computer is a sign of an infected device. Trojans frequently install additional malware, which can consume a large number of computing resources when combined.
Freezing and crashing apps- There is always a chance that Trojans will take over your computer and lead to crashes or other difficulties. The famed "Blue Screen of Death" is always something to worry about when it appears.
Internet redirection- another sign is when you experience a number of redirections when browsing. Trojans will change the DNS settings on your computer or manipulate your browser in order to route you to malicious websites that will infect your computer with additional malware.
Sudden changes in your browser, taskbar, or desktop- As the Trojan installs newer malware or makes other changes, you may notice new desktop or taskbar icons. When your device is infected, you will notice new plugins and apps you did not install.
A disabled antivirus software- Most malware is designed to bypass antivirus software. In some instances, Trojans and other forms of malware do not want to be found and removed. In some instances, they will make an effort to disable any antivirus software that you have installed.

How To Remove Trojan Malware

Using reliable antivirus software designed specifically for the purpose of removing Trojan malware from a device is the most effective method.

The process of removing Trojans from your computer is quite similar to the process of removing viruses and other forms of malware. Here is a recommendation from Avast on how to remove malware on your device:

To remove malware, including a Trojan, it is highly suggested that you protect your device by downloading trusted antivirus software.
An effective way to remove malware is to run a scan on your device. Run an anti-malware scan on your computer. Conduct a search for Trojans and other forms of malware on your computer using your antivirus software. Your software ought to detect the malware and automatically remove it from your system.
After scanning, you can delete the questionable malicious files of software that has been installed on your device to prevent further file corruption. This step, once the malware is removed, will speed up your desktop experience.
To prevent malware from damaging your device, you can restart your computer while it is set to Safe Mode to stop any malicious software from executing or connecting to the internet.