FileIce Survey Lockscreen

Posted: October 31, 2016

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:	10/10
Infected PCs:	52

First Seen:	October 27, 2016
Last Seen:	June 18, 2018
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The FileIce Survey Lockscreen is a Trojan that promotes fake surveys from the fileice.net website for collecting confidential information and distributing threatening software. Although it presents itself as a safe poll promoter often coinciding with attempted, legal downloads, the FileIce Survey Lockscreen, like all threats, is a deliberate threat to your PC's security. Use anti-malware procedures and software as appropriate for disabling its payload and removing the FileIce Survey Lockscreen from your PC.

The Big Chill on Your Screen

People that design and deploy threat campaigns can profit from more than just collecting money or gaining access to bank accounts directly. More subtle ways of engineering potential revenue through Trojans include directing the flow of Web traffic artificially, as well as encouraging that traffic to provide information, such as contact or identity details. After some analysis, malware researchers connected a new threat, the FileIce Survey Lockscreen, to both of these activities.

The FileIce Survey Lockscreen conducts standard desktop-blocking attacks by displaying a Web pop-up window that prevents the user from accessing shortcuts and other parts of the user interface. What the FileIce Survey Lockscreen makes differ from current trends in threats is that, instead of asking for ransom money, it asks the victim to fill out seemingly safe surveys provided by fileice.net. Other threat attackers not related to the FileIce Survey Lockscreen infections also may promote similar content through fake download links.

Critically, although fileice.net markets itself as being a file host, it doesn't host legitimate download URLs. Instead, it links to phishing hoaxes disguising themselves as surveys, which collect information such as your phone number. Following the FileIce Survey Lockscreen's instructions may unlock your computer but at the cost of your offered information, which threat actors could exploit for identity theft and other misdeeds.

Forcing a Change of Seasons on a Screen-Locking Trojan

Affiliates of fileice.net most likely are distributing the FileIce Survey Lockscreen actively in bundles with fake download links for media such as movies. Recently, malware experts also were able to verify that the domain's account registration link points to installers for the FileIce Survey Lockscreen. Most security solutions detect the threat, on a heuristic basis, as a JavaScript-based Trojan clicker.

Phishing tactics, whether they're encountered in your browser or pulled from the Web by Trojans, are most threatening to PC users who aren't aware of the risks of giving out information. Avoid websites and links with associations with fileice.net, which you should consider as a threatening domain. Restart in Safe Mode, if required, to disable the FileIce Survey Lockscreen's pop-up and delete the FileIce Survey Lockscreen by way of any anti-malware software.

Surveys only are as safe as their surveyors, and for fraudsters like the FileIce Survey Lockscreen's administrators, your first assumption never should be that the questions are in good faith.

FileIce Survey Lockscreen

Threat Metric

The Big Chill on Your Screen

Forcing a Change of Seasons on a Screen-Locking Trojan

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