RAT

(pronounced: rat)

A Remotely Activated Trojan (or RAT) is malicious code that allows a hacker to infect and control any smartphone, tablet, or computer. "RAT" also refers to "Operation Shady RAT" in which RAT stands for "Remote Access Tool," a type of software that hackers and security experts use to access computer networks from afar.

It's an acronym seen in texting, online [[chat or chatting|chat]], instant messaging, e-mail, blogs, newsgroup postings, and social media.

Historical perspective: The earliest RAT breaches date back to mid-2006, but a big series of cyber attacks in 2011, involved the infiltration of the networks of 72 organizations including the United Nations, governments and companies around the world.The activist groups Anonymous and Lulz Security grabbed the spotlight for temporarily shutting down some high-profile websites and grafitting others.

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