SpywareTrojaner

SpywareTrojaner is a category of malware that combines spyware functionality with a Trojan delivery mechanism. It seeks to infiltrate computers or mobile devices by disguising itself as legitimate software or by exploiting social engineering, and then operates covertly to collect information from the infected system.

Infection and persistence: SpywareTrojaner is typically distributed through phishing emails, malicious downloads, software bundles, compromised websites, or drive-by installs. Once installed, it may establish persistence by adding startup entries, scheduled tasks, or by exploiting system vulnerabilities to survive reboots.

Capabilities: The spyware component monitors user activity and exfiltrates data. Common capabilities include keystroke logging, credential harvesting, browser and search history collection, clipboard monitoring, screenshots, contact lists, and audio or video capture with exfiltration to remote servers. Some variants attempt to avoid detection by altering security settings.

Impact: SpywareTrojaner can lead to privacy violations, identity theft, financial loss, and unauthorized surveillance. In corporate environments it may target credentials, email, or intellectual property. Mobile variants can abuse app permissions to monitor messages or location.

Detection and response: Protection relies on up-to-date antivirus or anti-malware tools, intrusion prevention, and network monitoring. If infected, isolate the device, perform a full system scan, remove malicious components, revoke credentials, and restore from clean backups. Prevention includes software updates, cautious downloading, limiting permissions, MFA, and enabling strong security controls.