MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]

Posted: December 2, 2011

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:	12,271
Threat Level:	10/10
Infected PCs:	454

First Seen:	December 2, 2011
Last Seen:	October 8, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎ is a detection label for a Master Boot Record that's been infected by an Alureon-based rootkit. After compromising your MBR, MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎ may be used to install and launch more-specialized Alureon components than itself that can steal personal information, alter your security settings and perform other attacks against your computer. SpywareRemove.com malware researchers note that there are no plain symptoms of a MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎ infection, which uses rootkit techniques to conceal itself, although anti-malware applications should be able to detect and delete MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎ under normal circumstances. Any scans to remove MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎ should be thorough, since MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎ is incredibly unlikely to be the only Alureon-related infection on a compromised PC.

The Basics of How MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎ Burrows to the Heart of Windows

MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎ exploits the MBR to launch itself automatically and avoid detection from insufficiently-advanced security products, a tactic that's earned MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎ the name of 'bootkit,', AKA 'rootkit that infects the Master Boot Record.'. Although MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎ isn't able to distribute itself, MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎ usually is installed by other PC threats that may include self-propagation capabilities. Obviously, SpywareRemove.com malware experts strongly discourage attempts to delete MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎ without any assistance from appropriate software or PC security experts, since this can damage Windows permanently.

MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎ may also inject malicious code into normal Windows processes or change various Registry and DNS settings to cause attacks that can include:

Redirects to phishing websites – especially sites that pretend to be popular bank websites to steal account information.
Theft of browser-based data transmissions (passwords, user names, security questions, etc.).
Alterations to web pages to inject malicious content for phishing purposes.

Why a Little MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎ Infection is Big News

Alureon-based PC threats have grown in prominence due to massive distribution schemes that have compromised millions of PCs to date, and MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎ is still noted as being in distribution as of this article's writing. Without anti-malware software to detect MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎ automatically, most victims of MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎ infections only become aware of MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎'s attacks once they begin to experience random BSODs (the Windows Blue Screen of Death). Due to lawful server seizures and shutdowns that have affected MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎'s Command & Control servers, specific MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎ infections may be incapable of launching additional attacks, but should still be deleted as a distinct compromise of your operating system's integrity.

PC threats that are often found alongside recent MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎ attacks include, but aren't limited to TDSS rootkits, BrowserHijacker.Favorites and Adware.IWin Games. SpywareRemove.com malware researchers stress that most versions of Windows are vulnerable to MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk], although non-Windows PCs are, for now, safe.

MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]

Threat Metric

The Basics of How MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎ Burrows to the Heart of Windows

Why a Little MBR:Alureon-K [Rtk]‎ Infection is Big News

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