Troj/DarkDrp-A

Posted: September 11, 2012

Threat Metric

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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.

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% 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:	90

First Seen:	September 11, 2012
Last Seen:	April 14, 2020
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Troj/DarkDrp-A is a Trojan dropper that's used to install spyware onto your PC via attacks involving multiple PC threats. This attack starts with a malicious Windows Help file, Troj/HlpDrp-B, which launches Troj/DarkDrp-A as a fake Security Center file, with Troj/DarkDrp-A finally installing the keylogger Troj/Agent-OVJ. The only overt symptom of this attack is the general error message that appears when the victim attempts to view the original 'Help' file, and, thereafter, both Troj/DarkDrp-A and Troj/Agent-OVJ use covert means of compromising your PC. SpywareRemove.com malware experts caution that Troj/DarkDrp-A-related attacks can result in loss of extremely personal information, such as bank passwords, including other security-related compromises of your PC that could allow criminals to have an unwarranted level of access. As a recently-emerged Trojan, Troj/DarkDrp-A has been positively identified as of late August, and having updated anti-malware software should be considered necessary to prevent Troj/DarkDrp-A-related attacks.

Troj/DarkDrp-A – Not Just Two-Faced, but Triple-Faced as a PC Threat

Troj/DarkDrp-A and its cohorts were identified in late August of this year as a single, coordinated attack that used Troj/DarkDrp-A along with an additional Trojan, Troj/HlpDrp-B, to deliver spyware to the targeted PC. The original Trojan dropper that installs Troj/DarkDrp-A – Troj/HlpDrp-B – disguises itself as a WinHelp file with concealed malicious content. Opening Troj/HlpDrp-B, which uses misleading file names that, so far, target Italian-speaking PC users, will result in a general error message followed by Troj/DarkDrp-A's installation in the background.

Troj/DarkDrp-A's own part to play in this affair is to install the ultimate payload, a keylogger that's derived from the Darkshell Trojan – a DDoS-launching Trojan that compromises your PC's security and uses its resources for illegal acts. The keylogger, detected as Troj/Agent-OVJ, records your keyboard input to a separate DAT file that Troj/Agent-OVJ later sends to a domain that SpywareRemove.com malware experts have noted for its well-documented ties to malware. This can result in compromises of account and password-related security, as well as leaks of personal information such as your e-mail addresses, phone numbers or street addresses.

Getting Out of Troj/DarkDrp-A's Unhelpful Trap Before It's Too Late

The Help file that installs Troj/DarkDrp-A doesn't display symptoms besides a generic error about its content not loading, and Troj/DarkDrp-A conceals itself behind misleading file and process names ('Windows Security Center.exe' and 'cmd.exe,' respectively). Even the keylogger installed by Troj/DarkDrp-A uses a file name to imply that Troj/DarkDrp-A is a component of your Recycle Bin. Given all the subterfuge that's involved in a Troj/DarkDrp-A attack, along with a lack of obvious symptoms, SpywareRemove.com malware analysts consider using anti-malware software to block and delete Troj/DarkDrp-A the easiest way to avoid its attempt at grabbing your private information.

Since Troj/DarkDrp-A is installed by Troj/HlpDrp-B in the form of a malicious Help file, you should make a point of avoiding HLP files from untrustworthy sources (suspicious freeware sites, unusual pop-ups or P2P downloading networks). In spite of the HLP file system being discontinued in recent versions of Windows, SpywareRemove.com malware research team notes that most Windows PCs should still be able to launch Troj/HlpDrp-B, which will result in a domino chain effect that installs Troj/DarkDrp-A and, in turn, Troj/Agent-OVJ.

Technical Details

File System Modifications

Tutorials: If you wish to learn how to remove malware components manually, you can read the tutorials on how to find malware, kill unwanted processes, remove malicious DLLs and delete other harmful files. Always be sure to back up your PC before making any changes.

The following files were created in the system:

Windows Security Center.exe

File name: Windows Security Center.exe
Size: 73.72 KB (73728 bytes)
MD5: d63932bcb32ffd8ae244a646fb4263cc
Detection count: 19
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: September 12, 2012

Amministrazione.hlp

File name: Amministrazione.hlp
Mime Type: unknown/hlp
Group: Malware file

RECYCLER.DLL

File name: RECYCLER.DLL
File type: Dynamic link library
Mime Type: unknown/DLL
Group: Malware file

\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\UserData.dat

File name: \Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\UserData.dat
File type: Data file
Mime Type: unknown/dat
Group: Malware file