Trojan.PWS.ZAQ

Posted: July 8, 2013

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:	5

First Seen:	July 8, 2013
Last Seen:	October 24, 2019
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Trojan.PWS.ZAQ is spyware that's distributed as fake Pinterest add-ons that are hosted on malicious sites specially-crafted to look legitimate. These sites may be enjoying exposure through links in spamming campaigns – since the criminals responsible for Trojan.PWS.ZAQ's attacks also have strong ties to Twitter-based spam attacks that use fake sponsorships from various celebrities to lend legitimacy to their links. Interacting with the fake Pinterest installer for Trojan.PWS.ZAQ in any way – even to decline the software – will infect your PC with Trojan.PWS.ZAQ, which targets and steals login-related information for a variety of accounts. SpywareRemove.com malware experts warn that Trojan.PWS.ZAQ is a high-level PC threat, and as such, removing Trojan.PWS.ZAQ should use powerful anti-malware tools that can avert the theft of your personal information.

Trojan.PWS.ZAQ: Pinning Itself to Your Hard Drive Through a 'Safe' Brand

Similar to the attacks of fellow spyware-based Trojan BKDR_KRIDEX.KA, Trojan.PWS.ZAQ pretends to be affiliated with the Pinterest website as its primary means of infecting your PC. Spam links through Twitter seem to be the major means of promoting malicious links towards Trojan.PWS.ZAQ-hosting sites, which are designed to offer Trojan.PWS.ZAQ as a fake Pinterest tool. This add-on notification claims that its installation is necessary to access all the features of the website, but regardless of whether you accept or decline the offer, Trojan.PWS.ZAQ is installed.

Trojan.PWS.ZAQ is an advanced spyware program that steals account login information such as your passwords and account user names. This information then is transferred to criminals who may use it to hijack your accounts for such common purposes as stealing your credit card credentials. SpywareRemove.com malware researchers must emphasize that Trojan.PWS.ZAQ and other spyware Trojans usually do not show any signs of being installed and can conduct their attacks without showing off any visible symptoms that would allow you to detect them by eye.

Taking Trojan.PWS.ZAQ off Your Virtual List of Interests before It Takes You for All that You Have

Obviously, the best way to keep Trojan.PWS.ZAQ as far from your computer as possible is to make a habit of avoiding unusual Web links that can lead to suspicious websites. However, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers also note that, when faced with an installation request for potential malware, one always should attempt to close the window without interacting with it in any way – since even trying to refuse the 'offer' can allow malware like Trojan.PWS.ZAQ to use various means of compromising your computer. The site also can be identified by its misspelled Web address: pinteresf.org (note the 'F').

Because Trojan.PWS.ZAQ is hosted on a malicious site, anti-malware products should be able to block Trojan.PWS.ZAQ by both its site and by the actual download attack. Naturally, advanced stealth-based PC threats like Trojan.PWS.ZAQ can be difficult to remove manually, but anti-malware tools with good reputations for defeating such malware can be deployed for removing Trojan.PWS.ZAQ before any sensitive information is lost.

Trojan.PWS.ZAQ

Threat Metric

Trojan.PWS.ZAQ: Pinning Itself to Your Hard Drive Through a 'Safe' Brand

Taking Trojan.PWS.ZAQ off Your Virtual List of Interests before It Takes You for All that You Have

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