Fresh Malicious Program Conceals Victims’ Folders/Files, Warns BitDefender

BitDefender warns that one fresh malicious program is currently taking advantage of PC-operators' apprehensions via hiding their folders and files from normal viewing.

Basically, BitDefender says, the malware cunningly infuses immense chaos for the victim and so increases his frustration after concealing every file and folder immediately as it discovers them on the infected system. And while, it isn't new to have files/folders made invisible within cyber-crime situations, doing so and then providing one remedying device shows how shrewd social engineering can get, explains BitDefender. Gmanetwork.com published this on March 8, 2012.

Additionally, a few shortcuts are deactivated too. Nonetheless, all this while, the computer keeps working okay.

But sadly, the computer operator can neither realize that files/folders have been concealed nor bring them back to sight from Windows Explorer because of Win32.Brontok.AP@mm, a Trojan malware, which intervenes to pull down scareware onto the hijacked machine.

Moreover, acting like an accurate member of its family of fake AVs i.e. scareware programs, Trojan.HiddenFilesFraud.A exhibits several pop-ups notifying the end-user about an error involving disability to write some special thing within system32 because of an apparent crucial hard-disk fault.

However, one bewildering aspect is that the said error messages seem as arriving from the affected computer's operating system itself. Here, the end-user likely becomes sufficiently frightened and convinced into paying $80 to acquire the remedying tool, which in any case doesn't work or restore the contents of the machine.

The so-called remedying tool gets planted when another malicious program of high risk namely Win32.Brontok.AP@mm too is installed.

The Brontok, one kind of worm, proliferates through detachable devices after replicating and pasting itself onto all folders/files that the USB stick holds. The replicated pieces bear the same name as those of the files/folders with the .exe extension added, which however, stays invisible to the end-user. This way, the end-user is prompted for identifying, believing, clicking and thereby loading the worm-infected files/folders onto his computer, BitDefender comments.

Eventually, the company states that the malicious program's controllers seemingly target users who've valuable data like Masters or Thesis researches, client databases, monthly reports or wedding photos on their PCs.

Related article: Fark.com Files Suit against Suspected Hacker from Fox13

» SPAMfighter News - 3/16/2012