Dropper.Win32.Dapato.pj!1a

Posted: June 28, 2012

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:	9/10
Infected PCs:	7

First Seen:	June 28, 2012
Last Seen:	October 18, 2020
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Dropper.Win32.Dapato.pj!1a is an e-mail-distributed Trojan dropper that, once launched, installs a Sirefef Trojan, as well as Live Security Platinum (a recent member of the WinWebSec or Winweb Security family of rogue anti-malware scanners). E-mail messages that include Dropper.Win32.Dapato.pj!1a as a file attachment can be identified by their hoax topics, which, at the time of this writing, use fake notifications of Delta Airlines e-ticket purchases. SpywareRemove.com malware researchers also recommend that you scan any e-mail-distributed file before downloading it, especially in the case of archive files (such as the .zip format), since this is a standard means of attack for many types of PC threats besides Dropper.Win32.Dapato.pj!1a. The above PC threats that are installed by Dropper.Win32.Dapato.pj!1a are prominent for disabling unrelated security programs and displaying fake security alerts and should be removed by a dedicated (and reputable) anti-malware product.

Dropper.Win32.Dapato.pj!1a: a Short Flight to Infecting Your PC

Although there's nothing preventing associated criminals from changing up templates in the future, current e-mail templates for Dropper.Win32.Dapato.pj!1a use e-ticket hoaxes for the popular Delta Airlines company. These hoaxes claim to offer information about an e-ticket purchase and proffer a zipped file attachment for additional information about the transaction. Of course, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers see every reason to emphasize that Delta Airlines and other reputable companies never communicate with customers via e-mail file attachments, which are a popular infection vector for both Dropper.Win32.Dapato.pj!1a and similar PC threats (such as Zlob and Bredo Trojans).

If you do trust this file attachment, Dropper.Win32.Dapato.pj!1a will proceed with a two-part infection that installs both a Sirefef Trojan and a member of Winwebsec, Live Security Platinum. Similar distribution methods may also be used for other recent variants of scamware from Winwebsec, such as Security Sphere 2012, Personal Shield Pro, Security Shield, Smart Fortress 2012 or Smart Protection 2012. Both types of PC threats that are installed by Dropper.Win32.Dapato.pj!1a may also download and install other forms of harmful software, potentially including worms. Naturally, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers encourage you to scan your PC in great depth after any possible attack by Dropper.Win32.Dapato.pj!1a, since it can easily snowball into a series of multiple infections.

Stamping a Rejection on Dropper.Win32.Dapato.pj!1a's Software Offerings

Although Dropper.Win32.Dapato.pj!1a doesn't have a significant chance of infecting your PC if you delete suspicious e-mail spam habitually, SpywareRemove.com malware analysts have ranked Dropper.Win32.Dapato.pj!1a's payload as a high-level PC threat. Sirefef and Winwebsec-related attacks commonly include:

Infecting random Windows drivers, which allows Sirefef Trojans to stay open-in-memory without giving away their presence.
Hijacking online search results to promote third-party sites including potentially malicious ones.
Creating fake security alerts that aim to confuse you about the types and quantities of PC threats that are attacking your computer.
Disabling various applications such as Windows Defender, Windows Firewall, Windows Security Center. Live Security Platinum may also claim that some or all of these programs are infected.

Dropper.Win32.Dapato.pj!1a

Threat Metric

Dropper.Win32.Dapato.pj!1a: a Short Flight to Infecting Your PC

Stamping a Rejection on Dropper.Win32.Dapato.pj!1a's Software Offerings

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