what is TROJAN?

TROJAN
A Trojan is a program that is sent to a user that allows an attacker to control
functions of the target computer, recover information from the target or to delete
or damage files on the target. The name Trojan is given because the program wil
l usually come attached to some other program or file that entices you to run it.
There are a wide variety of Trojans any number of which can be programmed to
capture passwords as they are typed and to email or transmit them to a third party.
To protect yourself against Trojans, you should
never execute or download software or files that are not from a trusted source.
It is critical that anyone working on internet use a virus protection program
(which should catch most Trojans.) Note that since a Trojan requires the password
to be typed or stored in order to be recovered, this is not an effective way to recover
your own password. It could explain, however, how someone could lose their
password to a hacker. Sending someone a Trojan program is certainly illegal and
we do not recommend or condone this activity. A Trojan is unlikely to be effective
in recovering a particular account password since it requires the target to install it.
However, hackers will often bulk mail Trojans to thousands of people in the hope that a
small percentage will get caught. Legitimate account holders who may have been
caught by a Trojan and can authenticate themselves should contact their service provider
to have their account passwords reset.