trojan

4 definitions • 5 examples

a person or thing that joins and deceives a group or organization in order to attack it from the inside:

Older supporters have accused the new leadership of being a Trojan horse that will try to destroy the party from the inside.

a computer program that has been deliberately designed to destroy information, or allow someone to steal it:

It's easier than you think to inadvertently download a malicious Trojan horse.

someone or something in a system, organization, etc. that at first seems to be helpful, but then causes harm:

Critics called the 7% cap a Trojan horse for increasing taxes on the working poor.

a type of software, usually downloaded from the internet, that seems to be an ordinary program but that can destroy, or allow someone to steal, data:

Trojan horse program/malware/virus

It's easier than you think to inadvertently download a malicious Trojan horse.