Trojan:Win32/Ficos.A

Posted: July 16, 2014

Threat Metric

The Threat Meter is a malware assessment that SpywareRemove.com's research team is able to give every identifiable malware threat. Our Threat Meter includes several criteria based off of specific malware threats to value their severity, reach and volume. The Threat Meter is able to give you a numerical breakdown of each threat's initial Threat Level, Detection Count, Volume Count, Trend Path and Percentage Impact. The overall ranking of each threat in the Threat Meter is a basic breakdown of how all threats are ranked within our own extensive malware database. The scoring for each specific malware threat can be easily compared to other emerging threats to draw a contrast in its particular severity. The Threat Meter is a useful tool in the endeavor of seeking a solution to remove a threat or pursue additional analytical research for all types of computer users.

The following fields listed on the Threat Meter containing a specific value, are explained in detail below:

Threat Level: The threat level scale goes from 1 to 10 where 10 is the highest level of severity and 1 is the lowest level of severity. Each specific level is relative to the threat's consistent assessed behaviors collected from SpyHunter's risk assessment model.

Detection Count: The collective number of confirmed and suspected cases of a particular malware threat. The detection count is calculated from infected PCs retrieved from diagnostic and scan log reports generated by SpyHunter.

Volume Count: Similar to the detection count, the Volume Count is specifically based on the number of confirmed and suspected threats infecting systems on a daily basis. High volume counts usually represent a popular threat but may or may not have infected a large number of systems. High detection count threats could lay dormant and have a low volume count. Criteria for Volume Count is relative to a daily detection count.

Trend Path: The Trend Path, utilizing an up arrow, down arrow or equal symbol, represents the level of recent movement of a particular threat. Up arrows represent an increase, down arrows represent a decline and the equal symbol represent no change to a threat's recent movement.

% Impact (Last 7 Days): This demonstrates a 7-day period change in the frequency of a malware threat infecting PCs. The percentage impact correlates directly to the current Trend Path to determine a rise or decline in the percentage.

Threat Level:	9/10
Infected PCs:	40

First Seen:	July 16, 2014
Last Seen:	May 5, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Trojan:Win32/Ficos.A is a Trojan that imitates a legitimate software while making contact with remote servers for a variety of unsafe purposes. As with most backdoor Trojans exhibiting similar capabilities, Trojan:Win32/Ficos.A may collect data, download threats or be used to disrupt your PC's security features without any symptoms directly correlated to its attacks. For the moment, active anti-malware protection still is malware researchers' top recommendation for avoiding and deleting Trojan:Win32/Ficos.A.

The Misadventures of a 'Google' Trojan

Although some of the most advanced threats avoid any display of corrupted files on the victim's hard drive, less sophisticated threats, like Trojan:Win32/Ficos.A, make use of a simpler alternative. Trojan:Win32/Ficos.A disguises its files as generically-named cache and update management files for Google programs, kept within a sub-directory of the Windows 'Documents and Settings' folder. Malware experts haven't confirmed how Trojan:Win32/Ficos.A distributes itself, but they have found this Trojan making contact with unsafe sites.

Trojan:Win32/Ficos.A's backdoor server connection may allow Trojan:Win32/Ficos.A to perform various attacks at the behest of its administrators. Malware researchers anticipate that these attacks may include, at a minimum:

Trojan:Win32/Ficos.A may transfer information from your PC into wrong hands possession. Information could consist of account passwords, credit card numbers or other data that may be harvested by monitoring your keyboard input, screen output or Web traffic.
Trojan:Win32/Ficos.A may let third parties change settings on your PC. Some of the most commonly-changed settings include ones associated with file-viewing options, which may allow other threats to remain hidden. Security features like the Windows Firewall also may be disabled.
Trojan:Win32/Ficos.A may incorporate your PC into a botnet, or a network of infected machines that, en masse, may be forced to commit bad actions like DDoS attacks.
Trojan:Win32/Ficos.A may use its connection to download, and then install other threats.

Taking the Trojan out of Your Documents and Settings

Although Trojan:Win32/Ficos.A doesn't provide any reason to delay in uninstalling Trojan:Win32/Ficos.A through proper anti-malware tools, neither does Trojan:Win32/Ficos.A offer symptoms that make its detection immediately possible by eye. In some cases, backdoor Trojans associated with botnets have been known to cause system slowdowns. However, malware researchers find it equally likely that Trojan:Win32/Ficos.A could engage in attacks that don't show symptoms; scanning your PC regularly is, therefore, the best way to identify and delete Trojan:Win32/Ficos.A infections.

As stated previously, Trojan:Win32/Ficos.A's distribution methods still are uncertain, but Trojans just like Trojan:Win32/Ficos.A have been known to use targeted e-mail attachments, non-targeted social network spam and exploits on websites to install themselves. Safe Web-browsing routines, supported by anti-malware defenses, always should be used in tandem to thwart potential infection vectors for Trojan:Win32/Ficos.A and its kin.

Trojan:Win32/Ficos.A

Threat Metric

The Misadventures of a 'Google' Trojan

Taking the Trojan out of Your Documents and Settings

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