Beta Bot

Beta Bot is a rootkit and banking Trojan that uses root-level access techniques to conceal its presence and launch attacks that are capable of compromising highly sensitive financial data related to your bank account. Fortunately, Beta Bot's advances feature set is counterbalanced by its designer's unusual choice of allowing the PC user to observe the initial installation process, which is enabled through a standard UAC pop-up alert. No less dangerous than Citadel, Trojan Zeus and similar high-level PC threats, Beta Bot should be considered an immense danger to your computer and any information that passes through it. Structurally, Beta Bot doesn't lend itself very easily to being installed by drive-by-download exploits, but other infection vectors still can distribute Beta Bot with ease, and SpywareRemove.com malware experts recommend using the most powerful anti-malware software and strategies at your disposal to terminate and remove a Beta Bot infection ASAP.

Beta Bot: The New Chariot for a Vintage Crime

SpywareRemove.com malware researchers are never happy to see another banking Trojan enter the malware scene, and Beta Bot, besides its information-compromising attacks, has garnered some extra notice from a number of unusual divergences in its design. Although Beta Bot originally was built as a somewhat less harmless HTTP bot, Beta Bot eventually was upgraded into a banking Trojan, a la KRBanker, Keylogger Zeus or TSPY_BANKER.ZIP. Beta Bot's main code is kept private by its criminal designer, but functioning binaries of Beta Bot are being sold to other criminals at prices of up to 500 USD, allowing them to operate their own Beta Bot botnets and conduct semi-personalized attack campaigns.

Most banking Trojans are modular in nature, with the ability to expand their features with extra modules, but Beta Bot is a more cohesive (and somewhat larger) all-in-one style program. This does limit Beta Bot's attacks to some extent, but SpywareRemove.com malware experts warn that the capabilities Beta Bot is equipped with are quite sufficiently daunting by themselves – as noted in this list:

• Beta Bot uses rootkit methods to install itself to your computer and launch automatically. Because rootkits are advanced enough to persist even after a Safe Mode reboot, extra steps usually are required to disable PC threats of Beta Bot's caliber.
• Beta Bot uses multiple methods to avoid giving itself away to a standard PC security-oriented environment. Beta Bot will not run in a sandboxed or 'virtual machine' environment.
• Beta Bot can disable anti-virus, anti-spyware and other anti-malware programs.
• Beta Bot also is equipped with a browser-hijacking attack that redirects your browser away from sites that are related to major PC security companies. These attacks are based on modifications to your DNS settings, which affect all browsers equally.
• Beta Bot steals personal information via a data-grabbing HTTP POST routine (their primary payload, as far as its functions as spyware is to be considered).
• Beta Bot can distribute itself through networks and USB devices, like any worm. Copies of Beta Bot are concealed in relevant locations and installed whenever the opportunity presents itself – i.e., when another PC accesses the infected folder or drive.
• Beta Bot also may download and install other malware automatically, as is characteristic of any common type of Trojan downloader.

The Chinks in the Beta Bot's Ironclad Plan

Despite having a very sizable list of attack features, the Beta Bot's future as a profitable piece of malware still is up in the air. This primarily is due to its lack of some of the specialized information-stealing attacks that are boasted by some competing banking Trojans. Beta Bot's creator appears to be highly aware of these deficiencies, and currently seems to be continuing regular updates for Beta Bot, along with giving Beta Bot the ability to disable any competing PC threats that are on the same computer.

Keeping Beta Bot from spreading to other computers and keeping your personal information out of Beta Bot's grip should be your primary interests when dealing with Beta Bot. SpywareRemove.com malware experts warn that Beta Bot can steal more than just a bank account information, and also accesses such areas of your online activities as social networking, online gaming, e-mail sites and FTP clients.

Beta Bot, like most rootkits, is difficult to remove manually and will only show a few signs of its existence (such as the recurring User Account Control requests for additional permissions). SpywareRemove.com malware researchers heavily recommend using powerful anti-malware applications to delete Beta Bot, which may need to be disabled by extended security techniques before its removal is made possible.