Which malware hides inside legitimate software to trick users into installing it?

Which malware hides inside legitimate software to trick users into installing it?

• A. Trojan horse
• B. Worm
• C. Ransomware
• D. Spyware

Answer: (A)

This question tests understanding of how malware uses deception to gain trust. A Trojan horse hides inside something that looks legitimate—like a normal program, app, or file—so when a user installs or opens it, the malicious code activates. The key is the disguise: it pretends to be harmless or useful, exploiting the user’s trust to get past defenses and trigger payloads such as backdoors, data theft, or further malware. This differs from a worm, which spreads itself across systems without needing a user to install something disguised as legitimate. It also differs from ransomware, whose main goal is to encrypt files and demand payment, and from spyware, which focuses on covert data collection—though any of those could be delivered by a Trojan, the defining trait here is the deceptive concealment inside legitimate software.

This question tests understanding of how malware uses deception to gain trust. A Trojan horse hides inside something that looks legitimate—like a normal program, app, or file—so when a user installs or opens it, the malicious code activates. The key is the disguise: it pretends to be harmless or useful, exploiting the user’s trust to get past defenses and trigger payloads such as backdoors, data theft, or further malware. This differs from a worm, which spreads itself across systems without needing a user to install something disguised as legitimate. It also differs from ransomware, whose main goal is to encrypt files and demand payment, and from spyware, which focuses on covert data collection—though any of those could be delivered by a Trojan, the defining trait here is the deceptive concealment inside legitimate software.