Spyware.Zbot.out

Posted: August 1, 2012

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:	3,712
Threat Level:	1/10
Infected PCs:	13,404

First Seen:	August 1, 2012
Last Seen:	October 17, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Spyware.Zbot.out is a member of the Zeus family of Trojans, a kit-produced series of banking Trojans that steal bank account information and lower your computer's overall security (particularly with regards to your firewall and web browser). Spyware.Zbot.out attacks have been confirmed in the wild as of late July 2012, and should be considered ongoing threats to your computer, bank account and related assets. Because Spyware.Zbot.out, unlike some members of the Zeus Trojan family, have been noted for rootkit-like behaviors that result in the infection of normal files and their reinstallation after attempted deletion, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers recommend that you scan your computer with standard anti-rootkit techniques and appropriately advanced anti-malware programs to delete all of Spyware.Zbot.out's components, including those that might reinstall Spyware.Zbot.out, as thoroughly as possible.

The Innocuous Places Where Spyware.Zbot.out Likes to Lay Low

While many members of the Zeus or Zbot family are noted for creating independent files, Spyware.Zbot.out has been found to use host files on the infected PC to store its code. This can occur in multiple files simultaneously in a range of different locations. So far, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers have observed Spyware.Zbot.out infections in the following areas:

Adobe Dreamweaver software.
Windows System Restore files.

Some anti-malware programs may also detect false positives for Spyware.Zbot.out and similar PC threats, based on heuristic detection methods that trigger off of benign files and programs. So far, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers have only seen one trigger for these false positives: Toshiba DVD Player-related software. Under most circumstances, victims of false alerts for Spyware.Zbot.out can set their anti-malware scanner to ignore this false positive and continue on about their business. However, you may wish to double-check these files with a second brand of anti-malware scanner to verify that this detection of Spyware.Zbot.out actually is a false positive and not a genuine alert.

The Trouble in Noticing Spyware.Zbot.out's Heist Attempts

Spyware.Zbot.out may cause minor system slowdowns, but these and warnings from your anti-malware products may be the only symptoms that Spyware.Zbot.out displays. As spyware that's designed to steal bank-related information, Spyware.Zbot.out may:

Prevent alerts for unsafe web content from displaying.
Prevent firewall applications from running.
Disable anti-phishing protection for Internet Explorer and other web browsers.
Steal various types of confidential information from password fields, cookies, certificates, Windows e-mail clients and FTP programs.
Create a backdoor that allows criminals to control your PC from a remote server.

Even though the above attacks are high-level threats to your computer's privacy and safety, SpywareRemove.com malware analysts have found few to no symptoms associated with them inherently. Detecting and removing Spyware.Zbot.out should, in all normal scenarios, use anti-malware programs that are designed for such purposes.

Spyware.Zbot.out

Threat Metric

The Innocuous Places Where Spyware.Zbot.out Likes to Lay Low

The Trouble in Noticing Spyware.Zbot.out's Heist Attempts

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