Content

FakeAlert-BY

Type
Trojan
SubType
Win32
Discovery Date
03/06/2009
Length
Minimum DAT
5545 (03/06/2009)
Updated DAT
5761 (10/04/2009)
Minimum Engine
5.2.00
Description Added
03/06/2009
Description Modified
04/08/2009 2:55 PM (PT)
Risk Assessment
Corporate User
Low
Home User
Low

Tab Navigation

Characteristics

This is a detection for a trojan that displays misleading fake alerts to entice the user into buying a product to "repair spyware or malware problems". This trojan may masquerade its malicious behavior, and victims are likely to have installed it thinking it is an innocent antispyware program.

It displays a window like this displaying a fake system scan:

It creates the following registry keys:

  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\CrucialSoft Ltd\MS AntiSpyware 2009
  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\CrucialSoft Ltd\upd

It drops its files in the "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\CrucialSoft Ltd". (The prefix to "\Application Data" may vary from system to system.)

Symptoms

Presence of the files and registry keys mentioned above.

Method of Infection

This trojan may masquerade its malicious behavior, and victims are likely to have installed it thinking it is an innocent antispyware program.

Removal

All Users:
Use current engine and DAT files for detection and removal.

Modifications made to the system Registry and/or INI files for the purposes of hooking system startup, will be successfully removed if cleaning with the recommended engine and DAT combination (or higher).

Additional Windows ME/XP removal considerations

Variants

Variants

    N/A

All Information

Overview -

This trojan may masquerade its malicious behavior, and victims are likely to have installed it thinking it is an innocent antispyware program.

Characteristics

Characteristics -

This is a detection for a trojan that displays misleading fake alerts to entice the user into buying a product to "repair spyware or malware problems". This trojan may masquerade its malicious behavior, and victims are likely to have installed it thinking it is an innocent antispyware program.

It displays a window like this displaying a fake system scan:

It creates the following registry keys:

  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\CrucialSoft Ltd\MS AntiSpyware 2009
  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\CrucialSoft Ltd\upd

It drops its files in the "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\CrucialSoft Ltd". (The prefix to "\Application Data" may vary from system to system.)

Symptoms

Symptoms -

Presence of the files and registry keys mentioned above.

Method of Infection

Method of Infection -

This trojan may masquerade its malicious behavior, and victims are likely to have installed it thinking it is an innocent antispyware program.

Removal -

Removal -

All Users:
Use current engine and DAT files for detection and removal.

Modifications made to the system Registry and/or INI files for the purposes of hooking system startup, will be successfully removed if cleaning with the recommended engine and DAT combination (or higher).

Additional Windows ME/XP removal considerations

Variants

Variants -

    N/A