Backdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn

Posted: October 20, 2011

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:	6/10
Infected PCs:	37

First Seen:	October 20, 2011
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Although spam e-mail messages aren't exactly new ideas, SpywareRemove.com malware experts have caught Backdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn adding a particularly risky tinge to recent e-mail scams. Backdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn infects computers through links that are included in fake Information Technology Notice (or IT Notice) e-mail messages; these scams suggest that a virus has infected a local company network and request that you follow the link to install appropriate anti-malware software. However, this link doesn't lead to a security software, but instead, to a classic injection attack that installs Backdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn without your permission. Backdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn, like all backdoor Trojans, attacks the security of the infected PC by changing system settings and disabling anti-malware programs, and these changes allow criminals to control the afflicted PC with little effort. If you've been exposed to Backdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn through its fake IT link, SpywareRemove.com malware analysts encourage you to use the best anti-malware application that's available to remove Backdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn and its attendant dangers.

Backdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn – The Real PC Threat That Cowers Under a Fake One

Backdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn uses misleading e-mail messages as its foremost method of proliferation, chiefly through fake Information Technology warnings. These Trojan infection scams, using the subject header 'IT Notice,' include a message that claims that your company has encountered a virus that's infected its computer systems and online resources. The solution that this Backdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn e-mail recommends is to follow the link to install an anti-virus program. Naturally, all of this information is completely false, and the link leads, not to an anti-virus program, but to Backdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn.

If you follow this link, your browser will be attacked by a Trojan.Inject.ql exploit. This exploit will install a Backdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn backdoor Trojan, which will proceed to neuter your computer's security and aid criminals in controlling your operating system. Despite the high-level of priority these attacks have, you may not see signs of Backdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn doing its vicious work, other than a few minor side effects that come along with its attacks:

Changed firewall settings or a disabled firewall.
Changed network settings, especially opened ports.
Programs (including PC security software and Windows tools like Task Manager) that refuse to run or crash at unpredictable intervals.
Lower memory due to Backdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn taking up your RAM for its processes; this can also cause instability and poor performance in Windows.

Depriving Backdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn of One More Computer to Infect

SpywareRemove.com malware researchers note that the easiest way to keep your PC safe from Backdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn is, of course, to avoid its e-mail link and to delete any fake IT Notice e-mail messages that you encounter. However, if you've already been infected by Backdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn, you shouldn't hesitate to rush to means of deleting Backdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn, since every minute of exposure potentially means another minute of your PC being controlled by remote hackers.

Appropriate anti-malware programs can remove Backdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn, especially if you use a Safe Mode-based system boot to prevent Backdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn from launching and interfering with your system scan. Because theBackdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn e-mail scam is fairly recent as of October 2011, you may need to update your anti-malware program's threat database to identify Backdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn. Backdoor.Win32.Agent.aksn can also be identified by other names that vary with the brand of anti-malware scanner, such as BDS/Salamdom.A, Trojan.Rincux.AW, BackDoor.Siggen.976, W32/QQhelper.C.gen!Eldorado, Trojan-Downloader.Win32.Pangu, Sandbox: W32/Obfuscated.O and Mal/FakeAV-DW.

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:

file.exe

File name: file.exe
Size: 18.85 KB (18855 bytes)
MD5: d11a307b899d58d96903df4783e01b30
Detection count: 11
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: October 24, 2011