Do you consider computer virus and worm to be the same thing? You believe a Trojan horse to be a virus and you just need to install an antivirus software to deal with it. A Trojan horses, spam, viruses, and malware are programs that affect the normal function of a computer. However, that does not mean all of them are the same thing. Each of them are different, and so are the security measures to deal with them. If you want to ensure complete security of your computer, it is important for you to understand the basic differences between a Trojan horse and a virus.

What is a virus?
A computer virus refers to the programs or codes that get attached to any computer file or program and spread from one device to another. Unless a device has a strong security system, a computer virus affects each device it gets access to. Although all viruses are meant for affecting the system in an adverse way, not all of them have the same power. While some cause mild damage to files or programs with which they get attached, others destroy the complete file, software, or even hardware. Although a virus can enter the system with any email attachment or even from USB, it cannot cause any harm until it is opened by a human user.

What is a Trojan horse?
Unlike a computer virus, a Trojan horse poses bigger threats to any computer as it comes with a deceptive appearance of being useful software. A Trojan horse damages the computer when it gets installed in the device. They mostly trick users into opening the program, causing the device to malfunction as soon as they are accessed. While some Trojan horses cause minimal problems such as changing the desktop icon or background, others may cause serious problems by damaging vital information. A Trojan horse often opens backdoor in the system; it is through this backdoor that they transfer important data from your computer to a malicious user. Unlike computer viruses, Trojan horses are controlled from a remote end and may, at times pave, the way for bigger threats. Although Trojan horses are often considered more harmful than viruses, they cannot multiply on their own. Thus, there is no risk of infecting multiple systems simultaneously.

Tips to prevent virus and Trojans
Although viruses and Trojan horses are not the same, both of them can be equally detrimental to a computer. Therefore, it is important to know how to deal with them effectively.

• Use complete security software
  Nowadays, most reputed antivirus software come with complete malware protection, including Trojan, worm, and virus protection. Hence, read the protection terms carefully before the purchase. It is always recommended to look out for antivirus programs that offer not just malware protection but also internet security and malware and spyware safety. Kaspersky, Norton, Bitdefender, and Avast are some of the best antivirus software available in the country, and you choose any one of them to keep your device safe.
• Keep your system updated
  Just having the latest antivirus on your computer is not enough. For complete protection, it is important for you to keep your system updated to the latest versions. Moreover, update the patch from time to time. Microsoft users should be especially careful about updating their system as the older versions often leave loopholes and pave way for a virus attack.
• Keep the firewall on
  Each and every computer system has its own firewall to check any sort of unauthorized entry to the device. Keep the firewall on and take time to authorize every app as they come in the notification. This will help you in minimizing the risk of Trojan or virus damage.

Although it is recommended to take proper preventive measures to deal with malware infestation of a computer, there can be flaws. Therefore, if your device is infected with a virus or a Trojan horse, you should get the device or the drive formatted at once. Using the infected system may damage your computer further and lead to the compromise of confidential and sensitive data.