BKDR_XTRAT.B

Posted: November 6, 2012

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.

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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.

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Threat Level:	2/10
Infected PCs:	76

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

When Generic Dropper.p was recently identified being used to attack Israeli police agencies, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers were still analyzing its payload. The malware that's installed by Generic Dropper.p has turned out to be BKDR_XTRAT.B, a standard backdoor Trojan or RAT that includes information-stealing functions along with other backdoor-based security attacks. Although Israel's police department is the last confirmed target of BKDR_XTRAT.B, BKDR_XTRAT.B also has a history of being deployed against other victims, most notably the Syrian rebel movement. Because BKDR_XTRAT.B is a considerable violation of both your PC's safety and privacy, you should remove BKDR_XTRAT.B quickly and with anti-malware programs that can handle high-level PC threats.

BKDR_XTRAT.B and the E-mail that Mines Your Computer for Everything that It's Worth

As mentioned in Generic Dropper.p's article, targeted e-mail attacks are the main infection vector in this instance. This series of e-mail messages, instead of being generic spam, was sketched to appear like an advisement from the head of the IDF. Israeli police officers who opened the included file attachment were subjected to Generic Dropper.p's attack, which installed BKDR_XTRAT.B. This attack temporarily took the affected PCs offline as of the first of November, although the compromised systems are reported to have recovered since that time.

Because BKDR_XTRAT.B is a sophisticated Trojan with numerous attack capabilities, preventing BKDR_XTRAT.B infections can be considered easier than removing BKDR_XTRAT.B. In light of recent events, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers stress (as they have in the past) the necessity of practicing safe online habits, especially with regards to unusual e-mail file attachments. Competent anti-malware programs should be able to detect BKDR_XTRAT.B's Trojan dropper (Generic Dropper.p) if you scan the RAR file attachment before you open it. Similar attacks have been used to distribute many other types of malware throughout the world, including ransomware Trojans, rogue security programs and banking Trojans.

The Riches that BKDR_XTRAT.B Aims to Nab

BKDR_XTRAT.B includes some common tricks that are typical for any backdoor Trojan in the course of systematically disabling a compromised PC's security. BKDR_XTRAT.B injects its code into other memory processes and launches automatically, which allows BKDR_XTRAT.B to be open at all times and without being displayed as a separate program. BKDR_XTRAT.B can upload or download files from a remote C&C server and may use this server to let criminals access and control your PC.

SpywareRemove.com malware experts have taken especial care to note BKDR_XTRAT.B's information-stealing attacks, which may be used to compromise highly confidential info:

BKDR_XTRAT.B has been confirmed to record keyboard input to a text file; this attack, called keylogging, lets BKDR_XTRAT.B monitor and transmit any typed information.
BKDR_XTRAT.B also may take screenshots to capture visual data.
Even audio feeds (such as your microphone or webcam-based input) can be recorded by BKDR_XTRAT.B and transmitted to criminals for perusal and exploitation.
In cases wherein keylogging is inadequate to steal personal information, BKDR_XTRAT.B also may use other attacks to steal information from text forms. Text forms are often used by browsers and other programs to contain passwords, user names and other account information. SpywareRemove.com malware analysts have confirmed that BKDR_XTRAT.B's attack is compatible with multiple browsers, including Chrome, Internet Explorer, Opera, Firefox and Safari.

Since BKDR_XTRAT.B is an advanced PC threat and is still being updated by its coders, SpywareRemove.com malware experts suggest using nothing less than the best anti-malware software available to remove BKDR_XTRAT.B from any infected PC. As usual for spyware and RATs, BKDR_XTRAT.B doesn't show any overt symptoms of the above attacks and can affect most versions of Windows (including Windows 8).

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:

%Application Data%\Microsoft\Windows\jhfjgj.dat

File name: %Application Data%\Microsoft\Windows\jhfjgj.dat
File type: Data file
Mime Type: unknown/dat
Group: Malware file

%System%\sethc.exe

File name: %System%\sethc.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file

%User Temp%\Word.exe

File name: %User Temp%\Word.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file

'Report & Photos.rar

File name: 'Report & Photos.rar
Mime Type: unknown/rar
Group: Malware file

Registry Modifications

The following newly produced Registry Values are:

HKEY..\..\{Value}HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\jhfjgj ServerStarted = {DATE AND TIME OF EXECUTION}HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\jhfjgj ??????????????????????????? = OKHKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\XtremeRAT Mutex = jhfjgjHKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\WinRAR SFX C%%DOCUME~1%{USER NAME}%LOCALS~1%Temp = "%User Temp%"HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\hj2120431795e.dsz (Default) = {RANDOM HEX VALUES}