Win32/Sirefef.R

Posted: July 6, 2012

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:	8/10
Infected PCs:	18

First Seen:	July 6, 2012
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Win32/Sirefef.R is a component of the iniquitous and widely-distributed ZeroAccess rootkit, which is identified by Microsoft under the umbrella term of the Sirefef family of Trojans. Win32/Sirefef.R may refer to one of several PC threats from this family, including malicious code that's inserted into normal files like a virus, a Trojan dropper or a self-contained Trojan. Win32/Sirefef.R isn't necessarily guaranteed to display symptoms of its existence, but Win32/Sirefef.R will always be included with other components of a ZeroAccess infection and can be involved in severe security attacks against your PC. SpywareRemove.com malware researchers strongly discourage any attempt to find or delete Win32/Sirefef.R without assistance from either a PC security professional or a suitable anti-malware application due to the high likelihood of severe system alteration and damage.

Win32/Sirefef.R: Out with the Old and In with the New

The label of Win32/Sirefef.R has been used to identify Sirefef-related PC threats since 2011. However, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers have also noted its resurgence in separate Sirefef components as of June 2012. So far, these distinct versions of Win32/Sirefef.R include:

Trojan:Win32/Sirefef.R, a Trojan that's incapable of infecting other files (although it may be loaded into memory and concealed within another process). This is the oldest variant of Win32/Sirefef.R that was noted in the middle of 2011.
Virus:Win32/Sirefef.R, a Sirefef variant that can insert its code into other files without your consent. While SpywareRemove.com malware researchers haven't finished analyzing Virus:Win32/Sirefef.R's capabilities at the time of this writing, Sirefef-related viruses are particularly likely to infect web browser files in an attempt to steal confidential account-related information (for bank websites, FTP programs, etc).
TrojanDropper:Win32/Sirefef.R, a component that's used to install a predefined PC threat that's included in its own body. TrojanDropper:Win32/Sirefef.R and similar PC threats may also attempt to reinstall their payloads if they're detected as deleted.

Why Any Version of Win32/Sirefef.R on Your PC Should Be Worthy of Concern

Despite a lack of overt and observable symptoms in a standard Win32/Sirefef.R infection, any variant of Win32/Sirefef.R should always be considered a danger to your PC. Dangers that are associated with Win32/Sirefef.R and other members of the Sirefef family include loss of access to default security programs, web-browsing settings that are altered to make it easier than usual to attack your PC's private data transactions, hijacked search results and poor system performance (that's caused by Win32/Sirefef.R using your PC's resources for illicit acts, such as Bit Coin Mining).

Removing Win32/Sirefef.R should never be done by manual methods if other options are available, since the presence of Win32/Sirefef.R is almost certain to be supported by other PC threats, especially additional Sirefef components. Files that are related to Win32/Sirefef.R may also be concealed in the Windows system folder and equally-sensitive locations.

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:

services.rar

File name: services.rar
Size: 110.72 KB (110725 bytes)
MD5: c66502b61e452010db2a844c344bb093
Detection count: 52
Mime Type: unknown/rar
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: July 11, 2012

services.exe

File name: services.exe
Size: 129.57 KB (129573 bytes)
MD5: 20b26046d285729bc34de2724b407400
Detection count: 51
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: July 11, 2012