How long does a Trojan take to work?

Question

Hi, so i was recently hack (hotmail account) i kept getting postmaster failures. I wasnt using https and i was using https by mistake. But in my opinion hotmail should automatically use https anyway.
Anyway, i did a scan and it picked up a Trojan horse with the name "Java/Exploit.UB" i got rid of it. BUT my question is, does anyone know how long it could of taken to work? could it of been a day or two or could it of been on my machine for a month etc.. and only now hacked my email?
Best and most knowledgeable answer will get 10 points.

Answer 1

Once inside a system there is no way of knowing what it can or can't do...or when.



Many varieties actually 'phone home' to their Command and Control server to get new directions or instructions, which can blend in new and revised 'orders', or download more garbage for exploitable flaws in the operating system or app's.



I believe 'hotmail' does use SSL, but the log-in may have been spoofed, and you were re-directed to the fake log-in page (in control of the bad guys).

Use Firefox, with "NoScript" to end these JavaScript (and many other) exploits that plague Windows users.



What browser are you using?



"HTTPS Everywhere" for Firefox assures SSL connection when available for a domain.

Many add-on's for security are here: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/collections/dunbar-pappy/dunbarpappy/

Answer 2

Trojans can take anywhere from instant to months to take ahold. It's all in the manufacturer's control.

Answer 3

my first question is, what type of antivirus do you use? if you are using a good one you would never care about what's on your computer and your computer would work perfectly