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Trojan Malware Tactics: Understanding the Key Concepts Behind the Malware

Author by: Pooja Rawat
Jan 3, 2025 549

In cybersecurity, understanding the threats is just as important as defending against them. Let’s understand one of the most malicious types of cyber threats: Trojans.

What is Trojan Malware?

Trojan malware is like a secret trick for computers, much like a famous story from Greek history where the Greeks used a huge wooden horse to sneak soldiers into Troy and win a war.

Trojan malware is a tricky software that looks safe but actually has a secret code hidden inside. This secret code can take over your computer and mess things up, like messing with important files or stealing your personal information when you do something specific, like clicking a bad link. For example, imagine downloading what you think is a movie, but it’s actually a Trojan. When you try to watch it, instead of a movie, you get a program that deletes everything on your computer or sends your credit card details to someone sneaky who shouldn’t have them.

Sign of a Trojan Malware Infection

When your computer starts acting out of the ordinary, it could be a sign that it’s been compromised by a Trojan. Keep an eye out for these unusual activities:

  • Your DVD-ROM drive may mysteriously open and close on its own.
  • You might notice erratic behavior on your screen, such as flickering, inverting, or flipping upside down.
  • Without your initiation, the desktop background or wallpaper might change. This could be done by images on your computer or by the attacker’s software.
  • Web pages could pop open unexpectedly without any action on your part.
  • The color scheme of your operating system could shift without your consent.
  • Screen savers might switch to display a scrolling text message you didn’t set up.
  • The volume on your computer might start changing levels unpredictably.
  • Antivirus programs could get disabled, or you might find files corrupted, modified, or deleted without your doing.

Types of Trojan Malware

Below are the types of Trojan malware:

  • Remote Access Trojans: These Trojans enable hackers to control a device remotely, often without the user’s knowledge. Some of the RATs include: ProRAT, Thief, TeaBot.
  • Backdoor Trojans: Create hidden pathways in systems, allowing attackers to enter and exit while avoiding normal authentication.
  • Botnet Trojans: These enlist infected devices into a network under the control of a single attacking party, usually for coordinated attacks or to send spam.
  • Rootkit Trojans: Designed to conceal other malware or themselves, making detection and removal by security software more difficult.
  • E-Banking Trojans: Targeting online banking transactions, these Trojans steal login details and can reroute funds.
  • Point-of-Sale Trojans: Focused on stealing credit card information from the point-of-sale systems in retail environments.
  • Defacement Trojans: These Trojans deface websites by replacing content, usually with messages or images intended by the hacker.
  • Service Protocol Trojans: They target specific network protocols to disrupt service operations or intercept data.
  • Mobile Trojans: Specialized for mobile devices, these Trojans steal information, send SMS messages to premium numbers, or enroll devices in botnets.
  • IoT Trojans: Infect Internet of Things devices, from smart thermostats to security cameras, for various malicious purposes.
  • Security Software Disabler Trojans: Crafted to disable antivirus and other security programs to pave the way for further attacks without detection.
  • Destructive Trojans: These Trojans’ sole purpose is to delete, modify, or corrupt data, causing direct damage to the user’s digital content.
  • DDoS Attack Trojans: This Trojan is utilized to perform Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, overwhelming networks or services with traffic to force them offline.
  • Command Shell Trojans: Offer attackers a command-line interface on the infected system to execute commands remotely.

Ports Used by Trojan to Attack System

Ports are like doorways for data moving in and out of a computer, and they come in two main types: hardware and software. In an operating system, software ports help manage the data for specific applications—for example, port 25 (SMTP) is commonly used to send emails. These ports are often designed with specific purposes in mind, but unfortunately, this makes them targets for Trojans, which are types of malware that exploit these ports to gain unauthorized access to systems. So here are some of the most common ports attacked by the Trojans:

 

  • Port 2 is associated with the Trojan named “Death.”
  • Ports 20/22/80/443 are targeted by the Trojan “Emotet.”
  • Ports 21/3024/4092/5742 are exploited by “WinCrash.”
  • Port 21 also sees activity from “Blade Runner, Doly Trojan, Fore, Invisible FTP, WebEx, WinCrash, DarkFTP.”
  • Port 22 is utilized by “Shaft, SSH RAT, Linux Rabbit.”
  • Port 23 is known for the “Tiny Telnet Server, Elitewrap.”
  • Port 5001/50505 is exploited by “Sockets de Troie.”
  • Port 5321 is associated with “FireHotcker.”
  • Port 5400-02 is used by “Blade Runner/Blade Runner 0.80 Alpha.”
  • Port 5569 is targeted by “Robo-Hack.”
  • Port 6267 is exploited by “GW Girl.”
  • Port 6400 is associated with “Thing.”
  • Port 456 is targeted by “Hackers Paradise.”
  • Port 555 is used by “Ini-Killer, Phase Zero, Stealth Spy.”
  • Port 666 is exploited by “Satanz Backdoor, Ripper.”
  • Port 1001 sees activity from “Silencer, WebEx.”
  • Port 1011 is associated with the “Doly Trojan.”
  • Port 1026/64666 is exploited by “RSM.”
  • Port 8000 is targeted by “BADCALL, Commie, Volgmer.”
  • Port 8012 is used by “Ptakks.”

How to Protect Yourself from Trojan Malware?

Protecting yourself from Trojan attacks involves a combination of technical measures, vigilant behavior, and current awareness. Below are some of the steps and best practices to defend yourself against Trojans:

  • Install Antimalware Solution and keep it updated to catch and remove Trojans.
  • Always keep your operating system and applications up to date.
  • Activate and maintain a robust firewall to block unauthorized access.
  • Be alert while opening attachments or clicking links from unknown sources.
  • Only download software from reputable sites and avoid pirated content.
  • Use strong passwords and consider a VPN for additional security.
  • Use web and email filters to block dangerous content.
  • Keep up with the latest cybersecurity trends and threat information.
  • Keep an eye on network traffic and check for unauthorized port access.
  • Regularly back up all important files to external drives or cloud storage.
  • Apply the least privilege access principle by restricting user permissions.

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