What is the Difference Between Virus and Trojan

The main difference between virus and Trojan is that the virus is a malicious software that is capable of copying itself and damage the system by destroying data while Trojan is a malicious software that appears as trusted software to gain access to the target system.

Malware is a malicious software that is specifically written to harm the host system. There are various types of intrusive software. Two of them are virus and Trojan or Trojan horses. These programs can affect the functionality of the entire system. However, a virus is a harmful piece of code that can infect the other programs on the host system. It can spread itself once it is executed.  On the other hand, a Trojan is designed to make the user think that they are harmless. They can mislead the users and steal personal and financial details. Using effective anti-malware software can safeguard the system from various malware threats.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is a Virus
     – Definition, Functionality
2. What is a Trojan
     – Definition, Functionality
3. What is the Difference Between Virus and Trojan
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Malware, Trojan Horse, Virus

What is a Virus

A virus is a program that can destroy computer data. It can create copies of itself and insert its code to other programs. Virus can spread through the system by affecting files, folders, and data.  Downloading files from malicious websites, unpatched software, pen drives, and email attachments are some methods of viruses entering the system.

Viruses can bring harmful effects such as issues in network usage, corrupting data, damaging computer resources and changing configuration settings. A user can prevent a virus from entering the system by installing effective malware software. It is also important to avoid unknown email attachments and avoid downloading files from untrusted websites.

What is Trojan

Trojan or Trajan horse is a program that appears to be safe but is capable of misleading the users. Trojans can mislead the user to open an email attachment, click on a fake advertisement on social media, etc. Also, it can allow an attacker to access the user’s confidential details such as passwords, identify and banking information.  

Moreover, it can take over the resources of the host computer’s system files. It can make the host system unavailable to those who try to reach it. For example, it can make the user’s business network become unavailable. Furthermore, ransomware is another advance malware type. It restricts the users from accessing the system until paying a certain fee. These ransomware attacks are carried out using Trojans.

Difference Between Virus and Trojan

Definition

Virus is a type of malicious software that can replicate itself by modifying other computer programs and inserting its own code. Trojan or a Trojan horse is a malicious computer program that can mislead the users of its true intent. Thus, this is the basic difference between virus and Trojan.

Main Functionality

While a virus copies itself and spreads it across the system to corrupt data and system resources, Trojans get illegal access to the user’s system in order to extract sensitive information.

Injecting the Malicious Code

Moreover, another difference between virus and Trojan is that the viruses try to inject their code to other files to propagate themselves. But Trojan does not attempt to inject itself to other files.

Methods of Entering the System

One other important difference between virus and Trojan is their methods of entering the system. Viruses can enter the system by downloading files from malicious websites, unpatched software, pen drives, and email attachments.  Trojans can enter the system by appearing as attractive social media advertisements that mislead the users to load or execute them.  

Conclusion

The difference between virus and Trojan is that the virus is a malicious software that is capable of copying itself and damage the system by destroying data while the Trojan is a malicious software that appears as trusted software to gain access to the target system.

Reference:

1. “Computer Virus.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Sept. 2018, Available here.
2. “Trojan Horse (Computing).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Sept. 2018, Available here.
3. “What Is a Trojan Virus? | How to Prevent Trojan Horse Virus Attacks.” Enterprise Security News | Endpoint Protection Solutions Blog | Comodo, Google, 7 May 2018, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “1446110” (CC0) via Pixabay
2. “Trojan virus illustration” By Santeri Viinamäki (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia