What is a Banking Trojan: How to Avoid Being a Victim

There are many threats that exist when browsing the Internet. Many types of malware and viruses that can put our computers at risk. Keep in mind that the type of operating system or platform we are using does not matter. We can be victims of such attacks in any circumstance. That is why it is important to understand the operation of banking Trojans , which are a type of threat that is increasingly present. We will also give some advice to avoid being victims.

The rise of cyber attacks

We must bear in mind that we live in a time when cyber attacks are very present and that in many cases they live a great boom. It is true that security tools have improved to detect and avoid problems. However, hackers also perfect their techniques to carry out their attacks.

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If we talk about the rise of cyber attacks, we must take into account mainly mobile devices. We have a large number of computers connected to the network and sometimes they do not meet the security measures they should. This makes them vulnerable to attacks by cybercriminals.

In this article we are going to focus on banking Trojans. It is a type of malware that has increased in recent times mainly on mobile phones. It is a reality that today we use this type of device to surf the net, make payments, access our bank account … We have a wide range of possibilities, but it also makes hackers put their sights here.

What is a banking Trojan

With banking trojan we can say that it is the malware that seeks to steal bank data from users. It is present in desktop computers and mobile devices, where it has increased a lot in recent times. It is a threat capable of collecting information about our economic transactions, payments we make, passwords to access bank accounts … Everything related to this issue.

It is basically a malicious software that is hidden as if it were legitimate. Sometimes it can come through a program that we install. Many unsuspecting or inexperienced users can fall into traps that compromise the security of their devices.

Keep in mind that there are many banking Trojans. Some are specifically designed for mobile devices, while others can attack specific operating systems such as Windows. The objective will always be the same, which is none other than stealing bank information and data, although the means used may vary.

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Methods of infection of a banking Trojan

There are many methods through which our computers can become infected with bank trojans. It is important that we know how it reaches our system to avoid being victims of this problem. Let’s mention what are the most common methods of infection of a banking trojan.

Download of malicious software

Without doubt one of the most common causes is the download of malicious software . We talked about downloading a program that can be legitimate but that actually hides software that puts at risk the proper functioning of our equipment. This makes it very important to download only from reliable sources.

Attachments in the e-mail

Email is also a means widely used by hackers to deploy their attacks. A simple attachment, which can be for example an image or Word file, could hide a banking Trojan. There are many security threats that may come through this medium.

Visit infected pages

It could also be the case that we get infected when browsing infected pages . It may be that an attacker has injected malicious code into a site and upon entering we actually access fraudulent links or take us to pages to download malicious software. It is, in short, another point to consider.

Vulnerabilities in the system

Sometimes our systems may have vulnerabilities . These security flaws are used by hackers to attack. They could introduce banking Trojans through vulnerabilities in our equipment.

How bank trojans act

We will also explain what a banking Trojan does. We have mentioned that they are designed to steal bank information, passwords and data. Now how do they really do it? Let’s see it.

Key registration

One of the most common characteristics in banking Trojans is the ability to register keys . Basically what they do is collect everything we write on our devices to later carry out their attacks. They are able to register therefore the credentials we write, as well as the passwords.

Captures and recording

They can also take screenshots or even recording. Especially in mobile devices, banking Trojans that have this capability are very present. One more way to register the credentials and passwords of the victims.

Fraudulent redirects

Of course fake redirects are also present. This occurs when we use software that has been modified maliciously. We believe that we are accessing a legitimate link, but we are actually going to a website controlled by attackers to steal information and passwords.

How to avoid being a victim of a Trojan

We have seen what a banking Trojan is, how it can infect us and how it acts. But the most important of all this is to prevent. We will give a series of basic tips to avoid being victims of this type of problem. The goal is to prevent them from infecting our systems.

Security tools

Something essential is to have security tools . A good antivirus can prevent the entry of threats that put our computers at risk. We have at our disposal a wide range of possibilities. There are security software that are free and other paid. It must be applied regardless of the type of device or operating system we are using.

Keep teams updated

Sometimes vulnerabilities arise that are exploited by hackers to deploy their attacks. Normally it is the manufacturers themselves who release security patches and updates. We must always have the systems updated and with the patches installed.

Download from reliable sources

Of course, when downloading software, it must be done from official sources . In this way we avoid installing software that has been maliciously modified by hackers. It is vital that we install programs from official stores and that we do not fall into traps that may lead to fraudulent software.

Common sense

The last, but perhaps most important, is common sense . We have seen that many threats come through a simple e-mail we receive, for example. Also through a malicious link we visited or downloading a program that has been modified to attack.

It is essential that we use common sense in all cases. We must prevent the entry of bank trojans through attachments that we receive by e-mail, the download of malicious software or not taking appropriate precautions. Only then can we avoid being victims of a problem that increasingly affects more users on all types of devices.

In short, we can say that banking Trojans are a type of threat that is very present today. It acts in many different ways, but we can also use different tools and methods to avoid being victims of this problem.