Fireball

Posted: August 16, 2017

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.

Ranking:	20,013
Threat Level:	2/10
Infected PCs:	1,541

First Seen:	August 16, 2017
Last Seen:	January 12, 2025
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Fireball is a botnet Trojan that also hijacks the Web browser's search settings and can install arbitrary software. While Fireball's appearance and symptoms conform to those of a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP), other functions included in this threat force malware experts to classify Fireball as threatening software with priority removal for your PC's safety. Users should disconnect from the Internet before deleting Fireball with an anti-malware program and reverting their Web-browsing settings.

Great Balls of Flaming Browser Hijackers

Understandably, PC users can be tempted to ignore unwanted software that seems to be harmless, such as a program that supports itself by displaying advertisements or changing your Web browser's default search domain. However, millions of users throughout the world are paying a high price for that laxness currently: having their systems converted into 'zombies' in a botnet. The responsible program, Fireball, is even installing itself in freeware bundles similarly to the methods of adware or a standard browser hijacker.

Fireball is the product of Rafotech, a Chinese company. The botnet Trojan redirects Web searches towards domains owned by the same organization, which provide search results that they scrape from real search engines like Google. While malware experts only can speculate on the monetization method behind this attack, similar campaigns usually will remix the results with advertisements or even unsafe content.

However, Fireball isn't just a browser hijacker. The Trojan also includes full backdoor functionality that could let a remote attacker control the PC, including installing other software. While the Command & Control servers for controlling Fireball also tie directly to Rafotech, some sources report that third-party hackers are responsible for the botnet's inclusion.

Putting out a Fire before It Burns Anything of Value

Fireball has compromised an estimated two hundred and fifty million individual systems. Corporate targets also aren't immune; an estimated one-fifth of all corporate-based networks include a machine infected by this threat. Meanwhile, backdoor network activity and its related attacks often are asymptomatic and could give remote attackers ways of exfiltrating confidential information, damaging local files, or instigating other security hazards.

As a standard procedure for similar, backdoor-capable threats, any users with possible Fireball infections should disconnect the PC's network connections as soon as possible. Alone, Fireball has limited defenses against standardized uninstall procedures, and most anti-malware programs should detect and remove Fireball. You also may need to reset any modified browser settings and erase temporary 'cookie' files associated with domains promoted by this threat's hijackings.

Judging a security problem by what you see is an easy mistake for any PC user to make with unfamiliar software. Unfortunately, misrepresenting their threatening software is equally typical with threat actors, particularly ones who would like a backdoor into a profitable network.

Fireball

Threat Metric

Great Balls of Flaming Browser Hijackers

Putting out a Fire before It Burns Anything of Value

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