Home Malware Programs Viruses Mal/Dotter-A

Mal/Dotter-A

Posted: December 21, 2011

Threat Metric

Threat Level: 8/10
Infected PCs: 92
First Seen: December 21, 2011
Last Seen: December 6, 2020
OS(es) Affected: Windows

Mal/Dotter-A is a Trojan dropper that installs other types of malicious software and is propagated by spam e-mail messages. As of December 2011, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers have found that Mal/Dotter-A e-mail messages tend to masquerade under the disguise of a Barclays Capital financial newsletter, although this is only a hoax to tempt you into launching Mal/Dotter-A's file attachment and doesn't provide real information about the Barclays Capital bank. Because Mal/Dotter-A attacks in this manner are also associated with Adobe software vulnerabilities that can allow criminals to control your PC, you should strongly-consider updating any relevant software on your computer to eliminate this security weakness. The recently-defined nature of both Mal/Dotter-A and the relevant Adobe software exploit may require you to install threat database updates before your anti-malware scanner of choice can detect and delete Mal/Dotter-A.

Mal/Dotter-A: Just One More Reason Not to Trust a File Type on First Glance

Within its spam-distributed e-mail message, Mal/Dotter-A appears to be a harmless .pdf file that contains a newsletter about a well-known bank. However, Mal/Dotter-A's file, named 'Barclays Capital Financial Sponsors Weekly Newsletter.pdf,' actually exploits a recent security hole that exists in certain versions of Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat (version 10.1.1 and earlier versions for Windows/Mac, and 9.x to 9.4.6 for Unix). This vulnerability, known by the label CVE-2011-2462, can allow criminals to control your PC via memory corruption or remote execution of malicious code.

Unfortunately, even this serious breach of security isn't all that Mal/Dotter-A has up its sleeve. SpywareRemove.com malware analysts have also found that Mal/Dotter-A, as part of its default behavior, also contains an additional payload that allows Mal/Dotter-A to install other PC threats or inject malicious code into normal system processes. Therefore, any attempt to get rid of Mal/Dotter-A should utilize the best anti-malware software that's available to detect, not just Mal/Dotter-A, but any PC threats that Mal/Dotter-A may have also installed on your computer.

The Proper Safety on Your End to Fix Adobe's Mal/Dotter-A Oversight

Defending your PC from Mal/Dotter-A attacks is preferable to needing to find a way to remove Mal/Dotter-A, and, so far, requires only a basic awareness of Mal/Dotter-A's proliferation methodology and online safety:

  • Be cautious of file attachments from unusual sources, and don't trust a file attachment to be safe purely due to its file type.
  • Delete spam e-mail messages, such as Mal/Dotter-A's own Barclays newsletter hoax, when you see them. The main body of text for Mal/Dotter-A's fake e-mail has been noted below for reference:

    From: Safwan.Shabab@barclayscapital.com
    Subject: Barclays Capital U.S. Financial Sponsors Newsletter

    All,
    Please find attached this week's Barclays Capital U.S. Financial Sponsors Newsletter.
    Thanks,
    Safwan

  • Keep your software, particularly Adobe-brand products and anti-malware programs, up-to-date. This has the twofold benefit of minimizing security holes like CVE-2011-2462, and SpywareRemove.com malware researchers also note the importance of having an anti-malware scanner that can detect Mal/Dotter-A by its latest definition.

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