Troj/Agent-YTA

Posted: November 12, 2012

Threat Metric

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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.

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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.

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Threat Level:	9/10
Infected PCs:	16

First Seen:	November 12, 2012
Last Seen:	May 31, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Troj/Agent-YTA is a Trojan that's delivered in targeted e-mail attacks against Massachusetts-based companies. In its attempts to steal confidential information and potentially cause other forms of harm, Troj/Agent-YTA installs itself by pretending to be information that's related to an unemployment claim from an ex-employee. SpywareRemove.com malware researchers note that the timing of Troj/Agent-YTA's attack is potentially lucrative, given that news has surfaced of various companies firing employees over the results of the latest US presidential election. Because Troj/Agent-YTA doesn't show any symptoms, attempts to avoid deletion and may install other malware, Troj/Agent-YTA infections always should be deleted with a solid and dependable choice of anti-malware software.

How Troj/Agent-YTA Exacts Compensation for Nonexistent Grievances

Troj/Agent-YTA e-mail messages are designed to look like notifications from the Massachusetts Division of Employment and Training (AKA Detma), although the real Detma has warned its website visitors that it's unaffiliated with this malicious attack. These e-mails warn you about a 'time-sensitive' claim that requires you to provide additional information before you lose your right to appeal determinations. Although the body of these messages looks realistic and doesn't include obvious 'tells' of their harmful intentions, the provided file attachment, a .ZIP archive, actually installs the Trojan Troj/Agent-YTA.

If you're a member of the Human Resources department of a US company, particularly in the Massachusetts area, you should be alert for e-mail messages resembling the sample noted here. If you do need to open file attachments from sources that resemble Troj/Agent-YTA's e-mails, SpywareRemove.com malware experts recommend that you scan any file attachments before opening them. Competent anti-malware programs should be able to find Troj/Agent-YTA before the ZIP archive is opened.

The Real Price that You May Pay to Troj/Agent-YTA

SpywareRemove.com malware researchers haven't finished analyzing Troj/Agent-YTA, although they have noted that Troj/Agent-YTA's capabilities appear to specialize in compromised (and thereby stealing information from) business computers. Even though Troj/Agent-YTA is a far cry from the infamous PC saboteurs (such as Flame) that have ravaged the Middle East, Troj/Agent-YTA can still be responsible for stealing highly confidential information, damaging your computer's security settings or installing other forms of malware.

Symptoms of Troj/Agent-YTA's attacks haven't been shown to be in evidence in any visible sense, and Troj/Agent-YTA may be undetectable if you don't have appropriate anti-malware protection. Because Troj/Agent-YTA will resist normal removal techniques, SpywareRemove.com malware experts strongly recommend that you use a trustworthy anti-malware scanner to delete a Troj/Agent-YTA infection.

Major anti-malware companies detected Troj/Agent-YTA in early November of this year. Although outdated anti-malware programs may be able to detect Troj/Agent-YTA heuristically, SpywareRemove.com malware research team doesn't encourage you to rely on that possibility. Updated anti-malware scanners have the best chances of detecting Troj/Agent-YTA infections with complete accuracy and, naturally, removing Troj/Agent-YTA afterward.

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:

Unemployment_case.zip

File name: Unemployment_case.zip
Mime Type: unknown/zip
Group: Malware file

Unemployment_case.exe

File name: Unemployment_case.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file

Additional Information

The following messages's were detected:

#	Message
1	A former employee(s) of your company or organization recently filed a claim for benefits with the Division of Unemployment Assistance (DUA). In order to process this claim, DUA needs information about each former employee. You are requested to: * Provide Wage and Separation information (Form 1062/1074) And/Or * Provide Separation Pay Information If you do not provide this information, you may lose your right to appeal any determination made on the claim. To provide this information electronically, please print attached claim (file) and complete any outstanding forms. This message may contain privileged and/or confidential information. Unless you are the addressee (or authorized to receive for the addressee), you may not use, copy, disseminate, distribute or disclose to anyone the message or any information contained in the message. Thank You.

Message

A former employee(s) of your company or organization recently filed a claim for benefits with the Division of Unemployment Assistance (DUA).
In order to process this claim, DUA needs information about each former employee. You are requested to:
* Provide Wage and Separation information (Form 1062/1074) And/Or * Provide Separation Pay Information
If you do not provide this information, you may lose your right to appeal any determination made on the claim. To provide this information electronically, please print attached claim (file) and complete any outstanding forms.
This message may contain privileged and/or confidential information. Unless you are the addressee (or authorized to receive for the addressee), you may not use, copy, disseminate, distribute or disclose to anyone the message or any information contained in the message.
Thank You.