ARCHIVED: What is the PWSteal.Trojan virus?

PWSteal.Trojan (and its variant PWSteal.Trojan.D) are Trojan horses which attempt to steal login names and passwords. These passwords are often then sent to anonymous email addresses.

Norton/Symantec AntiVirus (NAV) definitions dated December 27, 1999, incorrectly diagnosed some Shockwave programs with PWSteal.Trojan. This false positive was corrected in subsequent definitions (after December 30, 1999). NAV users can keep their definitions current either through LiveUpdate, or by using the Download Virus Definition Updates page located at: http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/download.html For information on these procedures, see the Knowledge Base document For Symantec virus protection software, what are my options for updating the virus definitions?

For more on the various versions of PWSteal.Trojan, and how to remove them, consult Symantec's Online Virus Encyclopedia at: http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/auto/index/indexP.html

Also see:

• What are computer viruses, and where can I find more information?
• For Symantec virus protection software, what are my options for updating the virus definitions?
• What should I do if my computer has a virus?