Full Disclosure mailing list archives

Re: Help put a stop to incompetentcomputerforensics


From: "cozadc/Cozad, Chris" <ccozad () cosco com au>
Date: Fri, 12 Aug 2005 08:44:24 +1000

Jason (and the rest of the list),

 

I have been reading this list for a few years now, and very rarely
contribute. Generally a lot of the posts are not relevant to my
business, but it is good to read about other technologies, and different
ways of thinking.

 

BUT....

 

This playing with semantics is just foolish. I think there are 2
different terms in use in this argument.

 

The first use of the word Trojan explains the installation of software,
with another piece of software being installed in the background,
unknown to the user. This second piece of software could be a backdoor,
could be a virus, hell - it could install some lottery software! The
term Trojan is used to describe the unintentional installation of the
software by the user.

 

Jason' use of the word comes into play after the software is installed.
He seems to be using the words Backdoor and Trojan interchangeably. The
antivirus vendors tend to use this type of terminology. If it contains a
Backdoor, it is a Trojan. This is after the fact though, so describes a
slightly different thing to what everyone is shooting him down for. It
is the word the media would use to describe a backdoor, and that most
non-IT people would understand, so it is not wrong.

 

In my mind (and please remember, I am just some dude with email access,
so take what I say with a grain of salt...) software can contain a
Trojan Horse, and that Trojan could be a Backdoor.

 

Two sentences spring to mind:

 

"That software contains a Trojan" - general meaning - "That software
contains another program"

"Someone has Trojan'ed my PC" - Jasons meaning - "Someone has a backdoor
into my PC"

 

Both are acceptable, and everyone on this list would know the difference
if it was put to them like that.

 

Chris Cozad

Network Engineer

 

Five Star Shipping & Agency Company Pty. Ltd.

 

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