BKDR_VERNOT.A

Posted: March 28, 2013

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.

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:	2/10
Infected PCs:	16

First Seen:	March 28, 2013
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

BKDR_VERNOT.A is a backdoor Trojan that conceals itself in normal Windows processes while BKDR_VERNOT.Agathers information about your PC and enables criminals to have a dangerous level of access to your PC's system settings, basic input and files. BKDR_VERNOT.A differentiates itself from other backdoor Trojans mostly in its preference for using the legitimate cloud storage service of Evernote as its Command & Control server of choice – the server to which BKDR_VERNOT.A uploads any stolen information for criminal exploitation. If you use Evernote, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers recommend that you change your account's passwords highly regularly to prevent your own 'notes' from being used for BKDR_VERNOT.A's gain. However, if your machine has been compromised by BKDR_VERNOT.A, a suitable anti-malware product should be used to remove BKDR_VERNOT.A before BKDR_VERNOT.A can initiate further attacks.

BKDR_VERNOT.A: the Trojan that Stores Stolen Information in Stolen 'Notebooks'

The BKDR_VERNOT.A offers all of the basic attack and security-compromising features that anyone could expect from a backdoor Trojan, being capable of altering the files on your computer, changing security settings, installing other PC threats or gathering sensitive information and then uploading it to the Web. What makes BKDR_VERNOT.A noteworthy is its preferred C&C server, which currently is set to be an URL associated with the Evernote business.

However, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers stress that Evernote (a cloud storage company that offers multimedia 'note-preserving' services for Internet-connected devices) isn't guilty of any illegal activity. This attack appears to be the final result of a separate series of attacks that hacked Evernote's use account database, allowing criminals to gain access to login names, passwords and e-mail addresses. A security notice was issued in short order, and Evernote users were instructed to change their passwords. Since BKDR_VERNOT.A currently appears to be unable to access the server that's designated in its code, these warnings appear to have been effectual at containing the problem.

Safeguarding the Notes that BKDR_VERNOT.A Wants to Snatch

Since a BKDR_VERNOT.A attack is a twofold form of security compromise, two separate means of defending against BKDR_VERNOT.A are recommended. Firstly, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers strongly urge all Evernote account holders to change their passwords on a regular basis, as well as take measures for protecting their passwords from phishing attacks that could compromise them. A second line of defense is necessary for PCs that have been infected by BKDR_VERNOT.A, which will remain active, albeit crippled, even if BKDR_VERNOT.A can't access its C&C server.

Some of BKDR_VERNOT.A's default behavior, such as its acquisition of basic system information (like your OS brand and version) also is indicative of BKDR_VERNOT.A most likely being used for prolonged attacks against any infected computers. Of course, SpywareRemove.com malware research team urges you to remove BKDR_VERNOT.A as soon as you can detect BKDR_VERNOT.A, but BKDR_VERNOT.A's main component (a malicious DLL file) is injected into normal memory processes and may be difficult to catch without a good anti-malware program.

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:

%User Temp%\NETUT.dll

File name: %User Temp%\NETUT.dll
Mime Type: unknown/dll
Group: Malware file

Registry Modifications

The following newly produced Registry Values are:

HKEY..\..\{Value}HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\ Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows load = "{Malware path and file name}.exe"