Troj/Agent-YXP

Posted: November 21, 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.

Threat Level:	9/10
Infected PCs:	36

First Seen:	November 21, 2012
Last Seen:	April 17, 2020
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Troj/Agent-YXP is a Trojan that's designed to compromise Windows-based PCs and is distributed through spam e-mail messages. Like most such attacks, Troj/Agent-YXP's e-mail messages try to encourage victims to download Troj/Agent-YXP by presenting Troj/Agent-YXP as something it's not – in Troj/Agent-YXP's case, a picture sent through an MMS service. While the current designs of Troj/Agent-YXP's e-mails target Vodafone mobile phone users, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers emphasize that Troj/Agent-YXP is designed to attack most versions of Windows and that future variants of its e-mails may very well appear later in the year. As malicious software that tries to avoid detection or removal, Troj/Agent-YXP should be deleted by suitably competent anti-malware applications whenever they're available.

Why Showing File Extensions Can Let You Duck a Troj/Agent-YXP Attack

Using one of the most common means of slipping Trojans past the defenses of unwary PC users, Troj/Agent-YXP is sent out in spammed e-mail messages that are designed to look like notices from Vodafone. A ZIP file attachment, once unzipped, will appear to display a JPEG picture. However, SpywareRemove.com malware experts note that PC users who have set file extensions to be displayed will be able to tell that the file actually is an EXE or executable that's merely been misnamed to use the JPEG extension as part of its file name. Launching this file will install Troj/Agent-YXP on your computer.

Surprisingly, Troj/Agent-YXP isn't designed to infect mobile phones of any sort, but, instead, is targeted at Windows PCs. Using another trick that's common to Trojans, Troj/Agent-YXP disguises itself as a Windows file by using the file name Svchost.exe (although savvy PC users will notice that Troj/Agent-YXP is in the incorrect location for that file). A few Registry changes later, Troj/Agent-YXP can launch itself whenever Windows starts and without requiring your permission.

Stopping Troj/Agent-YXP's Ride Between Social Networking to Digital Danger

Troj/Agent-YXP was only detected late in November of 2012, and the full extent of its capabilities has yet to be analyzed. However, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers have noted that Troj/Agent-YXP displays behavior that's similar to backdoor Trojans that are intended to compromise your computer's security, with its attacks potentially including:

The installation of other malware, such as browser hijackers, adware or banking Trojans.
Changes to your security settings that expose your browser or overall PC to future attacks.
Loss of confidential information, especially passwords and other account-related data.

If any such programs are available, deleting Troj/Agent-YXP always should use anti-malware software. As a hostile program that attempts to avoid both your notice and its own deletion, Troj/Agent-YXP will refuse to delete itself by normal methods that would uninstall safe programs. Considering Troj/Agent-YXP's recent identification, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers also recommend that you update your anti-malware programs if they aren't updated already.

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:

Vodafone_MMS-uk.zip

File name: Vodafone_MMS-uk.zip
Mime Type: unknown/zip
Group: Malware file

Vodafone_MMS-uk.jpeg.exe

File name: Vodafone_MMS-uk.jpeg.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file