Cool Exploit Kit

Posted: January 7, 2013

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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:	1/10
Infected PCs:	9

First Seen:	January 7, 2013
Last Seen:	March 9, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The Cool Exploit Kit – similar to the Blackhole Exploit Kit, Phoenix Exploit Kit or Sweet Orange Exploit Kit – is a package of malicious browser exploits that can be used to install malicious software onto your PC. Created by the same team that made the notorious BEK, the Cool Exploit Kit is unique in that the Cool Exploit Kit only offers zero-day exploits, which prevents simple software patches from protecting vulnerable computers against the Cool Exploit Kit. Because the Cool Exploit Kit appears to use confidential and customized exploits to attack your PC and install malware (particularly members of the Reveton family), you should use strong anti-malware security along with web-browsing safety procedures to block or avoid any Cool Exploit Kit attacks. Like most exploit kits, the Cool Exploit Kit may not deliver any visible signs of its attacks even while the Cool Exploit Kit installs malicious software without your consent.

Why a Trojan from Cool Exploit Kit Will Put the Freeze on Your Computer

The Cool Exploit Kit is one of the most recently-identified exploit kit packages; although the concept that the Cool Exploit Kit uses is far from new, its overall methodology may make it harder to detect or thwart than broader exploit kits than itself. While SpywareRemove.com malware analysts have noted that most exploit kits use a combination of exploits that include well-publicized and/or outdated vulnerabilities, the criminals behind the Cool Exploit Kit claim that the Cool Exploit Kit makes exclusive use of zero-day (unpatched and unpublicized) vulnerabilities. Thus, no matter how thoroughly you patch your browser or any other vulnerable software, the Cool Exploit Kit will still be able to attack it.

However, the Cool Exploit Kit's actual distribution is much broader and more mercenary in nature than its exploit-acquisition tactics. The criminals behind the Cool Exploit Kit claim to sell usage of the kit for what amounts to a hefty sum of thousands of dollars monthly – although SpywareRemove.com malware experts stress that this fee is scarcely out of affordability for any profitable cyber criminals.

Current Cool Exploit Kit attacks appear to be associated with the distribution of ransomware Trojans from the Reveton family, which block Windows with fake legal alerts and request money to allow you to regain access to your PC. Examples of such PC threats include:

Thawing Your PC Out of the Cool Exploit Kit's Trap

Like BEK, the Cool Exploit Kit may be hosted on obviously malicious websites or on sites that have been compromised and forced to host Cool Exploit Kit without their web masters' consent. Ordinarily, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers recommend that you update your browser and other vulnerable software to protect against such drive-by-download attacks, but due to the details of the Cool Exploit Kit's exploit collection, only having appropriate anti-malware software can be considered a good defense against the Cool Exploit Kit's payload.

Ransomware Trojans that are installed by the Cool Exploit Kit shouldn't be paid for their fraudulent messages or related attacks, which don't have any affiliation with any legal agency. SpywareRemove.com malware analysts suggest that you disable these PC threats with Safe Mode or any other necessary method, and then scan your computer to remove the software that the Cool Exploit Kit put there without your permission.

Technical Details

Additional Information

The following URL's were detected:

justvideosearch.com