How big of a deal is it to have a trojan?

[Fifty]

So theres this thing that I downloaded, that evidently (according to avast) contains a trojan in it. I really want this thing though, and I can't find it anywhere else than from where I got it. I have downloaded this thing in the past, from the same source, and ran it without any evident problems (though at those times my virus checker never caught anything, so perhaps the trojan was added to it recently, though I doubt it).

So, how big of a deal is one trojan? I mean, don't like millions of computers have these on them? What are the likely consequences of having one trojan on the computer? Is it so bad that I should sacrifice having this cool thing that I want to have, just in order to be trojan-free?


thanks love fity

 

[Maniacal]

It depends on the trojan, but it can really screw and compromise your system. I would get rid of it immediately.

 

[ainwood]

Does it say what trojan it actually is?

You could look up the name at either of these sites to find what ti does:
http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/virusencyclo/default.asp
http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/

 

[Fifty]

Under "malware name" on the virus checker, it says "Win32:Generic-CU [Trj]" but that doesn't yield anything on those searchers...

 

[Cutlass]

Get rid of it. You don't know what it does, but it's unlikely to be anything good.

 

[Fifty]

Is the probability really that high that the trojan will screw things up in a major way? I mean, I really really want the thing in question, and I most likely had the trojan on my computer before anyways...

Is there any way to find out more information about what this trojan does? Can anyone help me please?!?!?!?!?!

 

[kuukkeli]

First, get other opinions (scan the file with other AV programs). Unless first two or three others (any one of them) think it's a virus there are good chances it's a false alert.

I'm not 100% sure but I assume that 'Generic' as a name means that Avast! doesn't recognize it as a known virus but its heuristic analysis considers it a risk none the less. If you could tell what program it is it would be easier to say whether that's probable or not.

In any case if it really is a trojan you should get rid of it.

 

[Maniacal]

Would I be correct in guessing this "program" is of a sexual nature?

Or is it something for cracking (aka hacking).

In either case just get rid of it.

 

[Speedo]

Having a trojan is kinda like having a friend who comes over every night and sodomizes you while you're asleep. Might not necessarily harm* anything, but it's pretty g-damn stupid to let it continue once you know about it.

*"Harm" being a relative term, of course.

 

[kuukkeli]

Having a trojan is kinda like having a friend who comes over every night and sodomizes you while you're asleep.

Soon Computer Talk is filled with threads "How can I get a trojan?!?!?!"

 

[Jerrymander]

Trojans generally remain dormant and don't do anything bad until triggered - either as a time setting or other external triggering. But when they're triggered, they often do more damage than most virii (damn you plurals) and worms. I would get rid of it.

 

[Fifty]

After some investigation I determined it was in fact a false positive, and not a trojan at all! Horray!!!!!

 

[lutzj]

So... what exactly is the program?

 

[Civfan333]

I'm thinking he's not gonna tell us......