Certified Incident Handler (CIH) Practice Ecam

What type of malicious program is disguised as a harmless program to access a user's information?

1. Virus

2. Worm

3. Spyware

4. Trojan

The correct answer is: Trojan

A Trojan is a type of malicious program that disguises itself as a legitimate or harmless application to trick users into installing it on their systems. Once installed, Trojans can perform various malicious actions, such as accessing sensitive information, creating backdoors for remote access, or downloading additional harmful software. Their deceptive nature relies on users believing they are using a trusted program, which often leads to data theft or compromise. In contrast, viruses and worms are self-replicating malware, but they typically do not rely on deception to spread. Spyware is focused specifically on gathering user information without consent, but it does not necessarily disguise itself as a harmless program in the same way Trojans do. This distinction highlights why the Trojan is the correct answer, as it specifically emphasizes the mechanism of disguise for malicious intent.