PrivacyCode

Posted: December 5, 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:	10,356
Threat Level:	8/10
Infected PCs:	215

First Seen:	December 5, 2011
Last Seen:	October 9, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Privacy Code is a fake anti-spyware application that creates unusual error messages to lead you to believe that your PC is under attack from multiple sources. However, chances are high that all PC issues that you face are caused by Privacy Code, which may also attempt to block your security programs or redirect your browser to its own website, privacycode.co.kr. Non-Korean computers have a much-reduced chance of being infected by Privacy Code, but Privacy Code is still capable of harming any Windows computer that Privacy Code manages to be installed onto. If you find your PC under attack by Privacy Code, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers recommend that you update your anti-malware scanners and quickly remove Privacy Code with a complete scan of your system.

Why Privacy Code Doesn't Give a Whit About Your Privacy

Privacy Code uses techniques that SpywareRemove.com malware researchers have noted as strongly-reminiscent of other variants of scamware products from Korea such as PC Trouble, My Vaccine, One Scan and EnPrivacy. Like all of the above programs, Privacy Code itself is incapable of providing real threat alerts or system diagnostic data, but shoehorns in fraudulent pop-ups to make it look as though Privacy Code is doing a good job. Other issues that may be caused by an active Privacy Code infection can include:

Browser hijacks that redirect your web browser to Privacy Code's website or force your web browser to block PC security sites. Avoiding privacycode.co.kr is crucial to preventing additional attacks on your PC by drive-by-download exploits and other means, regardless of whether or not Privacy Code is on your computer.
Unrelated programs failing to function. This can include basic Windows products such as Notepad or Task Manager as well as security-specific applications like anti-virus scanners. Privacy Code may even create additional error messages to make it appear as though these applications are damaged or infected.
Poor system performance due to Privacy Code's automatic startup and constant presence. Even if you attempt to close Privacy Code, Privacy Code may remain active in the background (its memory process can be observed in Task Manager provided that it hasn't been blocked).

The sum effect of these attacks is to deprive you of useful anti-malware software and advice while Privacy Code tries to encourage you to buy its full version. However, SpywareRemove.com malware analysts strongly warn that purchasing Privacy Code should never be considered the appropriate solution to a Privacy Code infection and will only endanger your finances along with your PC.

Getting Privacy Code's Bad Code Off of Your Hard Drive

Since many brands of anti-malware products have only updated their databases for Privacy Code relatively-recently, it's particularly recommended that you update any PC security products (such as anti-malware scanners) that you have, so that Privacy Code can be fully-identified and removed without incident. SpywareRemove.com malware researchers also recommend the usage of Safe Mode or, at worst, an external storage drive-based boot of Windows to prevent Privacy Code from launching itself.

After these steps are accomplished, deleting Privacy Code with a system scan will remove both Privacy Code and all of its symptoms from your PC. However, you should be certain to avoid contact with privacycode.co.kr even after Privacy Code is removed, or web browser-based attacks may reinfect your PC without requiring any further action on your part.

Technical Details

File System Modifications

Tutorials: If you wish to learn how to remove malware components manually, you can read the tutorials on how to find malware, kill unwanted processes, remove malicious DLLs and delete other harmful files. Always be sure to back up your PC before making any changes.

The following files were created in the system:

%StartMenu%\PrivacyCode

File name: %StartMenu%\PrivacyCode
Group: Malware file

%ProgramFiles%\PrivacyCode

File name: %ProgramFiles%\PrivacyCode
Group: Malware file

C:\Program Files\PrivacyCode\PrivacyCodeLaunch.exe

File name: C:\Program Files\PrivacyCode\PrivacyCodeLaunch.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file

Registry Modifications

The following newly produced Registry Values are:

HKEY..\..\..\..{Subkeys}HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\PrivacyCodeHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\PrivacyCodeHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\PrivacyCodeUp.exe