Janicab.A

Posted: July 24, 2013

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:	16,975
Threat Level:	9/10
Infected PCs:	6,830

First Seen:	July 24, 2013
Last Seen:	September 24, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Janicab.A is a backdoor Trojan with confirmed compatibility for both Mac and Windows PCs, as well as being noteworthy for using a digital typographical feature to conceal its real file type (so that Janicab.A can appear to the victim as a 'harmless' PDF file). Because detailed analysis of Janicab.A only began in the PC security industry as of mid-June, Janicab.A's full capabilities still are being examined, but Janicab.A's ability to connect to a remote C&C may allow Janicab.A to download other malware, upload stolen information for criminal exploitation or receive commands for altering your PC's security settings, among other possibilities. SpywareRemove.com malware experts currently categorize Janicab.A as a high-level threat to both Windows and Mac PCs, although Janicab.A has shown somewhat more aggressive behavior in a Mac OS X environment and, as a result, should be a particular concern to Mac users. Deleting Janicab.A, like any backdoor Trojan, is a task best left to anti-malware products capable of detecting and removing all hidden components and settings changes related to a Janicab.A infection.

Janicab.A: Using YouTube as a Stepping Stone on Its Way to Future Crimes

After being installed through presumably dishonest methods (such as the ever-popular abuse of drive-by-download scripts on hostile sites), Janicab.A's main purpose simply is to contact a Command & Control server and enable criminals to transfer further instructions. Interestingly, this attack doesn't contact the relevant server directly. Instead, it searches a list of YouTube pages to acquire the relevant C&C server's address. SpywareRemove.com malware experts also are glad to mention that, because this list is hard-coded into current versions of Janicab.A, appropriate security responses on the part of YouTube may temporarily be able to block Janicab.A's access to its criminal servers and prevent Janicab.A from launching further attacks against its infected PCs.

Janicab.A is one of the few PC threats to be compatible with both Mac OS X and different versions of Windows. Depending on the OS that Janicab.A infects, Janicab.A also can display some variants in its behavior; in Windows, Janicab.A only will contact a server and wait for instructions, while OS X computers will be forced to suffer through the indignities of automatic screen grabs and theft of audio input data, which Janicab.A transfers to its C&C server by default. This behavior is indicative of Janicab.A being used predominantly as a form of spyware, although SpywareRemove.com malware experts warn that backdoor Trojans like Janicab.A almost always are capable of a very diverse range of attacks.

Keeping Yourself from Being Fooled by Janicab.A's Surface-Only Disguise

Like many other Trojans, Janicab.A also keeps its true file type (an executable) concealed, in order to trick PC users into launching Janicab.A. Janicab.A does this through the use of a right-to-left encoding character that, conveniently, works around one of the default security features of OS X that is intended to prevent files from showing an incorrect file type. The result is a Janicab.A file that looks like a PDF, but functions like an APP in OS X whenever it's launched (which Janicab.A will do automatically after Janicab.A is installed). A decoy PDF document also is opened when you initially try to launch this file, providing a convenient distraction from the installation of Janicab.A. OS X versions of Janicab.A also benefit from an Apple Developer signature that, on a casual inspection, looks legitimate.

SpywareRemove.com malware researchers warn both Windows and Mac users to take all proper security precautions to prevent Janicab.A infections, which are considered high-level breaches of security and can allow criminals to have a huge degree of control over your PC. Powerful anti-malware tools always should be preferred for removing Janicab.A – or even finding a Janicab.A infection at all – with as much safety and accuracy as possible. Doing so quickly is of the utmost importance, since every moment that Janicab.A remains on your computer is a moment where Janicab.A can steal confidential data or conduct other attacks.

Janicab.A

Threat Metric

Janicab.A: Using YouTube as a Stepping Stone on Its Way to Future Crimes

Keeping Yourself from Being Fooled by Janicab.A's Surface-Only Disguise

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