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Malware Analysis:
Is it so necessary to have your computer protected by an antivirus? With all the due responsibility, we say – yes, it is. The problem of security is now very hard to solve, because of the wide range of programs which can compromise your PC without your permission or personal awareness. A typical example of such bogus software is Windows Safety Checkpoint. The harm caused by this app is connected with the performance and proper work of one’s machine. This rogue usually disables the legitimate antivirus and aggressively replaces the filters and scanners with its own equivalents. What happens next is your nightmare. This fake security application will claim to detect numerous threats, report upcoming system crashes and produce numerous alerts, warnings and popup notifications to scare you and persuade you to purchase the commercial version of it. Furthermore, you should know it is very difficult to get rid of such malware as there is no uninstall option and the program is not displayed on Control Panel either. Another problem is that the infested computer may get disrupted due to the creation of false registry entries and the interference with Windows startup.
Malware Analysis:
Super AV adds up to our category of rogue anti-spyware programs. This is by no means a typical antivirus program, although that’s exactly the impression you may get from the name. No, it’s something that just pretends to be benign but is in fact so malicious inside. Super AV usually uses drive-by downloads to penetrate into one’s computer. Basically, this means it’s really difficult to spot the moment it got inside. All it takes for this malware to intrude is just one click on some ad or other link when you’re online. After that, the program will be actively interfering with your computer usage, displaying fabricated scanners like the one shown on the image below, as well as loads of pop-ups that alert you in many different ways. The main idea of Super AV on this stage is to get you believing that your PC is at risk. It says you have worms (e.g. Worm.Reclog.A), trojan horses (like TrojanDownloader.Phexsol.B, Trojan.Hooblong.A), backdoors (Backdoor.Sajdela, Backdoor.Bigdipper.AB), exploits and other sample of badware.
Malware Analysis:
Sphere Security 2012 (aka SphereSecurity 2012) is not a mistyped name of a previously known rogue anti-spyware application (see this post). There has apparently appeared a new scareware with a slightly twisted name. What does it all mean to you as an average computer user and web surfer? Well, it doesn’t mean anything good actually. Sphere Security 2012 parasitizes on one’s Operating System to completely distort the way it works and try to persuade the victim about something that doesn’t correlate with the actual state of things. We would like to warn you before we proceed that this particular sample, just like its aforementioned clone, is hardly removable through your manual manipulations. This is because it’s problematic to single out the files related to it, as well as the corresponding bad Registry keys. Now, let’s see how this virus acts when on board. It usually starts with a scan that looks like it’s monitoring your system for security errors and malware threats.
Malware Analysis:
Believe it or not, the computer program bearing the noble name of Privacy Protection is a fake. At least the one that was launched today and looks just like what is provided on the image below. So what is it that you should know about this sample? In this post, we are going to tell you what you need to be aware of in this respect. The widespread path of Privacy Protection’s distribution is exploit-based or / and trojan-assisted. Whichever one you affect you, the process flow is the same on the outside. The virus gets in silently, without leaving traces that could be detected by your firewall and some legit AV tools. When this attack takes place, do not have too many illusions that it this process gets noticed on time and intercepted. It’s a matter of literally a second for a trojan to make its way inside and download the unwanted files to specified locations in your system. This being done Privacy Protection feels like a duck to water on your PC. It shoots out something like a scan that actually looks like it’s reflecting a computer check but does none of that in fact. This scan pursues just one goal: make things with your cyber security appear pretty complicated.
Malware Analysis:
System Security 2011 feeds you blank promises about help removing computer malware and expects you to fall for this and submit the money it is so keen on. Although this malicious product is new (released and exposed yesterday), the idea has definitely been around for months and has been observed in over ten very similar-looking scarewares. Just the few latest ones were AV Protection Online and Cloud Protection: just take a look at the images of these rogues to understand our theory. Let’s get back to where we were and try to dissect System Security 2011 in detail. This one gets into a PC through an exploit with active participation of a trojan virus. To save some time and spare you of redundant analyzing, we will just say such method of intrusion is detection resistant, meaning that neither your authorization nor firewall permission is required for the program to actually install. After the entrance stage is completed, System Security 2011 quickly advances into a more aggressive activity. The badware alters your Registry in a way by adding some keys and creates new files, including executable ones. So after the next PC restart, this malware will be in force to the fullest extent.
Malware Analysis:
AV Protection Online, a successor of Cloud Protection, is malware that contaminates one’s computer to specifically gain its makers profit. Fakeness of this program is beyond all doubt as its deliberate misinforming of users is a fact acknowledged by the whole antimalware community. Concerning the spreading specificity, it’s quite regular in terms of rogueware. The trojan horse distributing AV Protection Online tends to disguise itself as software that aims to provide you some assistance or optimize certain system processes. For instance, it is likely to come as a part of multimedia codecs, Flash player updates etc. It’s amazing that such a small fragment of corrupt code (we mean trojan) can cause such an immense mess inside your computer. It is well trained to spot weaknesses of your system and open backdoors, i.e. gateways in your security. It’s through these holes that AV Protection Online is literally dragged into a PC without even a hint of your awareness or consent. The presence of this awful tool on your workstation is always marked by the ‘standard’ scareware set: frequent fake scanners, bogus pop-ups – all multiplied by some general system work obstruction.
Malware Analysis:
Today’s top malware is Cloud Protection. We spotted it during a regular web session and felt its awful impact to the fullest. Apparently the virus got through and ended up on our lab machine after a trojan made it inside first. This little pathfinder does a paramount work for compromising PCs, in the bad way of course. Its mission includes downloading most of the components of the to-be rogue antivirus. That being done, these fragments of the seemingly scattershot puzzle get configured to combine into a fully functional malignant program. This unexpected application then gets down to doing what it is meant to. It makes repeated attempts to baffle you by telling you that a variety of vicious infections were found on your machine during its scan. Some pop-ups added, Cloud Protection gradually moves close to its aim. This aspect of the fraudware’s activity is about intimidating you. It ‘exposes’ the infections that do not actually reside on your computer. What for? It’s done to get you doing thoughtless things due to this confusion and fear. Cloud Protection recommends that you get your PC cleared of the viruses by activating its cleaning function.
Malware Analysis:
The basics of security knowledge should prompt anyone concerned that AV Guard Online is a program to avoid. It’s not only because we say so but also due to the numerous side effects it causes to your Operating System and your mental health. The application is extremely annoying and such a liar. It feeds you misinformation about virus protection level of your PC, stating that a large quantity of malicious objects have been intercepted during its scan. According to the computer security monitoring allegedly conducted by AV Guard Online, quite a few worms, adware and other potential risks are residing inside your system and may eventually lead to serious consequences unless removed. You have probably figured already these items are nothing to worry about because they do not exist (at least not on your computer). What you do need to be concerned about is the presence of AV Guard Online in your cyber neighborhood. Not only does it get obnoxious but may as well make your PC too weak to resist infections of different kinds such as actual spyware (not made-up), keyloggers, trojan horses etc. And that’s when you may face real problems.
Malware Analysis:
The longer Security Guard 2012 rogue anti-spyware stays on your personal computer, the worse it all gets. This is an example of a nasty malicious utility possessing the ‘full house’ of badware features. It is stealthy, which means its appearance is usually a surprise even to those who care about cyber safety and consider themselves computer savvy. Most cases of contamination took place after visiting a compromised website with a bad script in its structure. Anyway, what happens next? When Security Guard 2012 gets on your PC, it changes system settings and makes sure its process gets triggered along with the legitimate ones. Moreover, the random named file responsible for this mess gets configured to overrun other executables, making it a real hard nut to crack opening, say, Microsoft Word, Notepad or the antivirus software you are using. When this rogueware is running, it shows you a great many alerts and even runs virus scanners looking like genuine ones. Now, please remember all of those are fakes. Security Guard 2012 is in no way fit to implement actual system protection routine, be it malware detection or removal of any infections.
Malware Analysis:
OpenCloud AV is not really a new malware sample as it just continues the work started by its direct precursors one of which was OpenCloud Antivirus. Not only do these two look alike, they also do pretty much the same stuff to computers that were infected. How would you react to a program that installs itself without your consent, then keeps you from opening some applications and what is more, it fills up your screen with a lot of popup alerts. These warnings are a particular topic for discussion. They bear no info value at all, although they sure look like something you should take into consideration. OpenCloud AV uses this pop-up trick for a strictly defined reason – it tries to frighten you with confusing information about parasites that are purportedly overwhelming your computer, in the bad way. Beside the ads, this rogue software has another tool in store. It’s the fake system scanning that claims to disclose the real state of things with the safety of your machine. Each time these scans run and complete, they display reports that are full of pseudo infections listed. As you see, that’s quite a lot of effort towards making you believe some wrong things.
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