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Symptoms
If a computer starts to do funny things, a Trojan Horse doesn't necessarily has to have something to do with it. But if programs, files or information start to disappear, it would be a good idea to check what's going on. If someone in a chatroom talks to you about information on your computer, the odds of being infected almost hit the roof. Time for a thorough system-check.
Tactics
Removing Trojan Horses out of an infected system manually is a very tough task und requires loads of computer skills. Since they are able to hide themselves in different locations of the harddisk, there never is 100 percent evidence that all the components got removed from the system. Therefore, there are programs which main task it is to seek and destroy Trojan Horses.
Two of the most popular programs are called "The Cleaner" (https://www.mosoft.de) and "Trojan Defense Suite" (https://www.diamondcs.com.au). Both programs can be downloaded free from the internet as trial versions.
It is very important to disconnect from the internet, once the download of one of the programs finished. If an attacker was able to get connected to a computer, he technically would be able to prevent the installation of an Anti-Trojan tool, as long as the computer stays connected.
After successful installation of the software the first task should be scanning the whole system for Trojans. This can take quite some time since every file and folder on the harddisk has to be examined. It is very important not to interrupt or speed up this process ensuring that everything got scanned properly.
Once a Trojan Horse is found, the software tries to remove it from the system. In some cases removing a certain Trojan can cause serious damage to the operating-system, like complete or partial loss of data. Therefore important files and folders should frequently be backed up on CD-ROM's or backup tapes in case a virus or Trojan Horse infection deletes the whole harddisk.
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