Trojan.Zbot.HXT

Posted: November 20, 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:	14

First Seen:	November 20, 2012
Last Seen:	July 24, 2020
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Trojan.Zbot.HXT is a variant of the Zbot Trojan that's distributed through malicious advertisements and browser exploits, with Trojan.Zbot.HXT's latest attacks compromising the default home page for the Opera web browser. Trojan.Zbot.HXT, like any Zbot Trojan, is designed to steal private information without leaving signs of its attacks in plain sight, and you may be unable to detect a Trojan.Zbot.HXT infection without appropriate anti-malware software. Because Trojan.Zbot.HXT can use advanced techniques to protect itself from exposure or removal, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers recommend that you use anti-malware scanners to disinfect your PC if you need to remove Trojan.Zbot.HXT or have had any type of recent contact with Opera.com.

Why Changing Your Default Browser's Settings Can Save You from a Trojan.Zbot.HXT Attack

While Trojan.Zbot.HXT can be distributed in various ways, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers sat up and took notice of the latest confirmed Trojan.Zbot.HXT distribution vector, which managed to compromise the default homepage for the Opera browser. By slipping a malicious advertisement into Opera.com's advertising display, criminals were able to force visitors to load a browser exploit that redirected them to the Blackhole Exploit Kit. Blacole then installed Trojan.Zbot.HXT after it detected appropriate software vulnerabilities to utilize for the drive-by-download.

Although Opera Software has been notified of this security breach and have taken down their advertisements to remedy the issue, visitors who already visited Opera.com may already be infected by Trojan.Zbot.HXT. Since the compromised page is the default homepage for Opera, anyone who's kept that browser's baseline settings can be considered at risk. There are no obvious symptoms of this attack, although SpywareRemove.com malware researchers note that strong anti-malware web protection can help block well-known exploit packages like Blacole or redirects to malicious sites.

Securing Your Personal Info Before Trojan.Zbot.HXT Runs Off with It

Trojan.Zbot.HXT is a variant of a well-known spyware program that steals a variety of information from your computer. Based on research by SpywareRemove.com malware experts, typical issues linked to Trojan.Zbot.HXT and other Zbot Trojans include:

Compromised account passwords/logins for FTP programs and other account-specific software.
Compromised web browser-transmitted information; Trojan.Zbot.HXT may monitor and steal any information that's entered into text form fields. This includes information that's protected by SSL and other methods (often used by bank websites).
In some cases, web pages may be injected with malicious content. Usually, Trojan.Zbot.HXT will use this function to request additional information that Trojan.Zbot.HXT can steal (such as your Social Security Number). The additions are designed to look like an inherent part of the web page – such as an additional security procedure.
Finally, Trojan.Zbot.HXT includes basic backdoor functionality. This lets criminals install other software on your PC, upload/download files, delete files or change your system settings without your permission.

Because Trojan.Zbot.HXT is an advanced PC threat that will try to avoid being deleted, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers suggest using just as potent anti-malware programs to find and get rid of Trojan.Zbot.HXT.

Trojan.Zbot.HXT

Threat Metric

Why Changing Your Default Browser's Settings Can Save You from a Trojan.Zbot.HXT Attack

Securing Your Personal Info Before Trojan.Zbot.HXT Runs Off with It

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