Magala

Posted: July 14, 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.

Threat Level:	9/10
Infected PCs:	70

First Seen:	July 14, 2017
Last Seen:	January 20, 2022
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Magala is a 'clicker' Trojan that generates false advertising traffic without affecting the PC user's Web-browsing experience necessarily. The Trojan's attacks show limited symptoms beyond some changes to Internet Explorer's behavior through the Registry, such as hijacking its homepage. Despite not aiming its payload at the user, you should treat this program as threatening and use anti-malware programs for uninstalling Magala or preventing its installation.

The Natural Evolution of Adware Continues Apace

Although generating revenue is at the forefront of almost every modern threat campaign, different threat actors use a variety of ways to make that money. Some of these methods can harm the infected system's user directly, such as by encrypting their files. With others, the user may not even be a part of the payload's routines, except as something to circumvent, a la Trojan Magala.

While Magala has been in distribution for a long time, a comprehensive response and analyses from the security industry began three months into 2017. Malware researchers are estimating that most Magala infections are spreading through freely-downloaded bundles, such as installers for system cleaners or torrent-based content. Magala, like most Trojans, is Windows-specific and, in fact, requires a modern version of Internet Explorer to run.

Magala fails to execute its payload on any system using Internet Explorer 8 or older. If a more up-to-date version of that browser is present, it creates a virtual desktop that's hidden from the user. From this second desktop environment, Magala installs the MapsGalaxy Toolbar (a previously analyzed adware program) for IE, locks the browser's homepage to a related URL, and begins generating automatic search queries. It 'clicks' on the results at an interval of ten seconds, thereby creating revenue from the advertisement-viewing counts. Malware researchers note that the latter, in particular, should occur invisibly to the user, which contrasts with traditional adware.

Keeping the Advertising Farm Off Your Computer

Magala's symptoms are almost entirely limited to the resource expenditures it uses to conduct the above activities. Since the Trojan gathers data on its search queries from a remote server, the users of infected systems may be able to limit or block Magala's payload by disabling their Internet connections. Systems without Internet Explorer or with an old version of the browser also should remain unaffected.

Although not meant to harm the user directly, Magala holds the same, core dangers as a more traditional adware program: it loads advertisements automatically, and in sufficient quantity to risk endangering your PC with unsafe content. Due to the brevity of its symptoms, using active anti-malware protection is the easiest way to identify Magala either before it installs itself or afterward. Victims should delete Magala with such products, when possible, and scan any bundle-based installers that aren't from reputable sources.

Magala is a representative of how irrelevant the person who's manning the keyboard is to the goals of a modern threat campaign. Trojan attacks serve for creating money any way they can do so largely, and the user is, at best, a tool, or even an impediment to that goal.

Magala

Threat Metric

The Natural Evolution of Adware Continues Apace

Keeping the Advertising Farm Off Your Computer

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