Win32:Malware-gen

Win32 Malware.Gen is a generic term used to describe potentially dangerous software applications targeting 32-Bit Windows PC systems. The threat came into view after multiple antivirus programs conducted a heuristic analysis of its file structure and behavior, spotting worryingly close similarities with other known forms of malicious software.

Many Threats Under One Guise

Although Win32 Malware.Gen currently resides under various names (see the list below) in dozens of AV databases, security researchers are still reluctant to go into detail about the threat's real purpose. That does not mean Win32 Malware.Gen is devoid of any suspicious command lines and instructions. There are plenty of them hard-coded within Win32 Malware.Gen. However, what they represent is nothing but a hodgepodge of features generally found in mostly different types of malware. While some of them are typical of Trojans, others may relate to worms, still others – to spyware and ransomware. When left unattended, these potentially malicious commands could perform some nasty actions, including, but not limited to:

• Executing a Trojan / Ransomware payload
• Replicating a virus
• Distributing a worm
• Overwriting and deleting files
• Shielding the existence of a suspicious file once it has landed on the targeted PC system

Depending on the circumstances, Win32 Malware.Gen may prove capable of triggering one or more of the activities mentioned above without prior notice. As a result, a targeted user may experience a wide array of unexpected 'visitors' on his/her machine – personal data keyloggers, remote access tools, persistent pop-up advertisements, and so on. If this were not enough, individual reports have revealed that Win32 Malware.Gen may sometimes flag an executable as malicious when it is, in fact, completely harmless, thus indicating the so-called false positive.

A Myriad of Entry Points

Since Win32 Malware.Gen is capable of infecting target PCs with more than one type of malware, it may penetrate a computer system using more than one technique. The infection vectors used by Win32 Malware.Gen range from unsolicited email, malvertising on the Web, network distribution, or through fake AV software updates. It is this multi-pronged attack that may turn this otherwise vague threat into one that could have dire consequences for each infected system. In the best-case scenario, victims may end up bombarded with constant false positives, while in the worst-case – with stolen passwords and compromised bank (and other) accounts. Dragging the PC into a remote-controlled Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack is a real possibility, too.

Recommended Course of Action

Files bearing one of the file names set out in the table below should always be regarded with suspicion. Depending on the antimalware solution you use, you are likely to see a Win32 Malware.Gen infection under a slightly different detection name:

• VCS/Environment.DigitalFN
• Virus.Win32.Xpaj.1!O
• HEUR:Trojan.Win32.Generic
• Win32.TRBHO.Dl
• TROJ_GEN.R42C3AR
• Agent2.CBME
• Trojan.Generic.5408453
• Trojan.BHO!IK
• W32/BHO.AQ!tr
• TrojanDownloader:Win32/Regonid.A

While the detections above are all associated with a Trojan-spreading version of the Win32 Malware, there are dozens of other ones associating it with adware, backdoors, keyloggers, PUPs, Rootkits, and Worms.

Since a Win32 Malware.Gen infection may trigger many different malware attacks, removing it from the system should be a top priority. While a manual removal should do the job most of the time, it is entirely dependent on shutting down all malicious processes running in system memory and tracking down the right malicious files. Since Win32 Malware.Gen is capable of carrying a different payload every time it lands onto a target PC, it is very likely to create separate files each time. Therefore, using a reliable anti-malware solution with an up-to-date definitions database is of paramount importance, and there is practically no way around that.

Technical Details