Trojan horse
nounid
4490·updated May 9, 2026candidate
A computer program that appears to have a useful function, but also has a hidden and potentially malicious function that evades security mechanisms, sometimes by exploiting legitimate authorizations of a system entity that invokes the program.
MWE
Classifications
Entity Type
Threat90%rule-basedr:entity.threat.attack.v1
Sensitivity
unclassified
Information Class
unclassified
Variants
- plural
- Trojan horses
- possessive
- Trojan horse's
- pluralpossessive
- Trojan horses'
Framework definitions
- §1
- A computer program that appears to have a useful function, but also has a hidden and potentially malicious function that evades security mechanisms, sometimes by exploiting legitimate authorizations of a system entity that invokes the program.
National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS) Cybersecurity Lexicon1 senseview framework →
- §1
- A computer program that appears to have a useful function, but also has a hidden and potentially malicious function that evades security mechanisms, sometimes by exploiting legitimate authorizations of a system entity that invokes the program.
- §1
- Purposefully hidden malicious or damaging code within an authorized computer program Scope Note: Unlike viruses, they do not replicate themselves, but they can be just as destructive to a single computer.
Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) IT Examination Handbook Infobase, Glossary1 senseview framework →
- §1
- Malicious code that is hidden in software that has an apparently beneficial or harmless use.
- §1
- A computer program that appears to have a useful function, but also has a hidden and potentially malicious function that evades security mechanisms, sometimes by exploiting legitimate authorizations of a system entity that invokes the program.
- §1
- A computer program that appears to have a useful function, but also has a hidden and potentially malicious function that evades security mechanisms, sometimes by exploiting legitimate authorizations of a system entity that invokes the program.
Outgoing relationships
No outgoing triples
This term is not the subject of any RDF-style relationship yet.
Incoming relationships
No incoming triples
No other term currently asserts a relationship to this one.