Troj/JSRedir-HW

Posted: July 18, 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:	1/10
Infected PCs:	506

First Seen:	July 18, 2012
Last Seen:	September 26, 2024
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Troj/JSRedir-HW is a JavaScript-based attack that redirects your browser to a malicious site, after which your browser will land on a random Facebook page. This seamless attack is distributed by fake Facebook message spam that's sent to random e-mail addresses, with an accompanying link to Troj/JSRedir-HW. Because Troj/JSRedir-HW's initial redirect forces your browser to load malicious content that can be used to install PC threats on your computer automatically, SpywareRemove.com malware analysts encourage you to scan your computer immediately after you've had contact with e-mail links that resemble the examples in this article. Under normal circumstances, it's also recommended that you avoid navigating via e-mail links, since the safest way to access a trustworthy site is to type its web address into your browser's navigation bar.

Troj/JSRedir-HW: a Facebook with a Bad Ending for Your Web Browser

Troj/JSRedir-HW bears a strong similarity to other e-mail-distributed browser exploits, such as Troj/JSRedir-HT, Troj/JSRedir-K, Troj/JSRedir-H, Troj/JSRedir-EX and Troj/JSRedir-EF. A seemingly normal Facebook update in your mailbox is the only warning sign that most victims of Troj/JSRedir-HW attacks receive; however, these spam messages can be detected as fraudulent due to a slightly misspelled 'from' field that includes 'Facebook' with an extra 'o,' as in 'Faceboook.' This e-mail is formatted to appear identical to a normal Facebook message in all other respects and includes a fake Facebook.com link. Once clicked, this link actually takes victims to a page that hosts Troj/JSRedir-HW. If inspected, this link's URL is visually detectable as being fraudulent.

Troj/JSRedir-HW will redirect you in turn to a Blackhole Exploit Kit or BEK that may install malicious software without your consent. There aren't necessarily symptoms of these attacks, which can be configured for different payloads and targets. SpywareRemove.com malware experts also note that this attack finishes off with a final redirect to a random Facebook page, which can make Troj/JSRedir-HW's e-mail appear to be semi-legitimate for unobservant PC users.

Closing the Book on Troj/JSRedir-HW

Because Troj/JSRedir-HW uses Java in its attack, it is possible for you to protect your PC from Troj/JSRedir-HW by disabling JavaScript by default. Keeping Java updated for minimal vulnerabilities and having anti-malware software to block Troj/JSRedir-HW and other browser-based exploits are also recommended by SpywareRemove.com malware researchers as important means of self-defense while online. Nonetheless, if you recognize and delete Troj/JSRedir-HW's fake Facebook messages without any further interaction with them, your computer shouldn't be in danger of Troj/JSRedir-HW attacks.

Troj/JSRedir-HW's related PC threat, the Blackhole Exploit Kit (or Blacole) is an astoundingly widely-distributed PC threat that's responsible for the distribution of many types of hostile software. Some of its common payloads that SpywareRemove.com malware experts have noted in their research include:

Ransomware Trojans like the Ukash Virus that lock your PC and display a fake criminal warning until you pay a fine.
TDSS and ZeroAccess rootkits that compromise your PC's security and infect system components.
Rogue anti-virus and anti-malware programs that create fake security warnings.

Troj/JSRedir-HW

Threat Metric

Troj/JSRedir-HW: a Facebook with a Bad Ending for Your Web Browser

Closing the Book on Troj/JSRedir-HW

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