TROJ_MDROP.GDL

Posted: April 18, 2012

Threat Metric

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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.

Ranking:	6,501
Threat Level:	2/10
Infected PCs:	3,523

First Seen:	April 18, 2012
Last Seen:	October 15, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

TROJ_MDROP.GDL is a Trojan dropper that's distributed by mass-mailed e-mail spam, usually in the form of a fake .doc file attachment that appears to contain insider information about Asian politician Bo Xilai's recent scandal. TROJ_MDROP.GDL, instead of being the .doc that TROJ_MDROP.GDL pretends to be, actually is a .rtf file that contains an embedded .exe as well as a .doc (the latter apparently is as a distraction from TROJ_MDROP.GDL's attack). Because TROJ_MDROP.GDL's default payload includes the spyware Trojan TSPY_GEDDEL.EVL, it is recommended that you take applicable measures to protect your personal information from any possible abuse by criminals after you've removed TROJ_MDROP.GDL or related PC threats from your computer with appropriate security software. However, even that should be unnecessary, as long as you use a solid defense of basic web-safety practices and anti-malware programs to prevent TROJ_MDROP.GDL from making its way from your mailbox to your hard drive in the first place.

When Interest Over World News Can Turn into a TROJ_MDROP.GDL Attack

With news of Bo Xilai's scandal still very fresh news as of April 2012, TROJ_MDROP.GDL's criminal partners have made efficient use of this news event by using it to help distribute TROJ_MDROP.GDL in a spam e-mail campaign. E-mail messages with attached TROJ_MDROP.GDL Trojans try to portray TROJ_MDROP.GDL as a harmless text document, but TROJ_MDROP.GDL, despite its .doc-based file name, also contains an embedded .exe that can be used to attack your computer. TROJ_MDROP.GDL's major function includes installing a second PC threat that's enclosed in its body, TSPY_GEDDEL.EVL, although SpywareRemove.com malware experts note that the same method can be utilized to install other types of malicious software.

To complete its attack, TROJ_MDROP.GDL uses an exploit, CVE-2012-0158, that has since been patched out of existence by Microsoft. If you don't have this critical security update already established, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers recommend downloading it immediately to close the vulnerability that TROJ_MDROP.GDL uses to install its payload. Given that SpywareRemove.com malware researchers have ranked the potential danger of TROJ_MDROP.GDL's completed attacks as being very high, prevention is stressed over TROJ_MDROP.GDL's removal after the fact whenever practical.

Safety in Operating Systems and Online Practices Against TROJ_MDROP.GDL

TROJ_MDROP.GDL is noted only to be able to attack XP, 2K and Server 2003 versions of Windows, and other operating systems can be considered protected against TROJ_MDROP.GDL by default. Avoiding suspicious e-mail file attachments is also pivotal to insuring a minimum of possible exposure to TROJ_MDROP.GDL, which leaves no obvious symptoms of its attacks and even places a real text document on your computer to create an appearance of safety.

E-mailed RTF Trojans that are similar to TROJ_MDROP.GDL have also been observed installing other types of PC threats besides TROJ_MDROP.GDL's preferred spyware, such as remote access tools (also known as RATs) that can allow criminals to access and control your PC. SpywareRemove.com malware researchers recommend that you exterminate any payload that's a result of a TROJ_MDROP.GDL or related PC threat by analyzing your PC with suitable security programs, since both RATs and spyware often use advanced structural foundations that are difficult to find or delete with no assistance.

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:

%User Profile%\a.exe

File name: %User Profile%\a.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file

Additional Information

The following URL's were detected:

mogeba.de