Which of the following best describes a trojan?

Which of the following best describes a trojan?

• A. A self-replicating malware
• B. A malicious software disguised as legitimate
• C. A network monitoring tool
• D. A data encryption method

Answer: (B)

A trojan is best described as a type of malicious software that disguises itself as legitimate software to deceive users into installing it. Unlike self-replicating malware, which spreads across systems independently, trojans rely on user interaction and often tempt individuals by appearing as useful or harmless applications. Once installed, they can perform harmful activities, such as stealing data or giving unauthorized access to attackers. The other options highlight different aspects of malware or cybersecurity tools: self-replicating malware refers to viruses or worms that automatically spread without user consent; a network monitoring tool is used to analyze and manage network traffic for security and performance; and a data encryption method is a technique for securing data by converting it into an unreadable format for unauthorized users. These definitions distinguish them clearly from the specific characteristics of a trojan.

A trojan is best described as a type of malicious software that disguises itself as legitimate software to deceive users into installing it. Unlike self-replicating malware, which spreads across systems independently, trojans rely on user interaction and often tempt individuals by appearing as useful or harmless applications. Once installed, they can perform harmful activities, such as stealing data or giving unauthorized access to attackers.

The other options highlight different aspects of malware or cybersecurity tools: self-replicating malware refers to viruses or worms that automatically spread without user consent; a network monitoring tool is used to analyze and manage network traffic for security and performance; and a data encryption method is a technique for securing data by converting it into an unreadable format for unauthorized users. These definitions distinguish them clearly from the specific characteristics of a trojan.