In the field of computing, Trojan horses have been around for even longer than computer viruses – but traditionally have been less of a cause for concern amongst the community of PC users. In recent years, however, they have been the focus of increased attention from anti-virus companies and heightened levels of user concern. This paper aims to investigate the Trojan phenomenon; particular attention will be paid to the claims made in the field of NVM detection and those made by those who aim to test the vendors’ claims.
In addition, various attempts to define Trojan horses will be evaluated, and a new definition will be suggested. It is not expected that any such definitions will solve any of the basic problems, but they will help shed light on certain aspects. The author will also investigate further techniques to test the claims of software
vendors in this very difficult area.
