Troj/SWFDL-G

Posted: September 19, 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.

Ranking:	16,246
Threat Level:	9/10
Infected PCs:	1,450

First Seen:	September 19, 2012
Last Seen:	January 19, 2025
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Troj/SWFDL-G is an alert for web content that's attempting to exploit a zero-day IE vulnerability to install malicious software, with the most common payload being variants of the backdoor Trojan known as Poison Ivy. At the time of this article's writing, this exploit is unpatched, and SpywareRemove.com malware analysts have confirmed that Troj/SWFDL-G attacks can affect most versions of Internet Explorer, as well as most versions of Windows. Since patching your software is, for once, not a good defense against Troj/SWFDL-G or other attacks that use the same exploit, it's recommended that you avoid using Internet Explorer for the moment – a tactic that's considered so sound that even the government of Germany is currently warning its citizens to utilize. There are no symptoms of Troj/SWFDL-G's attacks, which, like most drive-by-download attempts, will try to launch without your consent as content is passively loaded from a malicious or compromised web page.

Troj/SWFDL-G – the PC Threat So Serious That Even Europe is in Arms Over It

Like other PC threats that exploit the same vulnerability (Troj/SWFDL-I and Troj/SWFDL-H), Troj/SWFDL-G launches without your permission when Internet Explorer is exposed to malicious web content. Ordinarily, such exploits require outdated software to make the most of their attacks, and, hence, keeping your browser, Java, JavaScript and Flash software all updated can block most attack vectors. However, the vulnerability that Troj/SWFDL-G uses remains very recent and has not been patched by Microsoft. While Microsoft has confirmed that it's working on a security patch for the problem, there is no current release date for the band aid to the gaping security hole caused by Troj/SWFDL-G.

Environments that malware experts have verified to b vulnerable to Troj/SWFDL-G include:

Windows 7
Windows Vista
Windows XP
Windows Server 2008 (some versions of this OS have been reported to be unaffected)
Windows Server 2003

Non-Windows PCs and PCs that are running pre-released versions of Windows Server 2012 or Windows 8 should be safe from Troj/SWFDL-G and related attacks.

The Trojan-Riddled Fate That Troj/SWFDL-G is Happy to Lead Your PC Towards

Troj/SWFDL-G's most frequent payload is the Poison Ivy Trojan. This Trojan may inject itself into normal processes to conceal its attacks, steal personal information, install other types of malicious software or allow criminals to control your PC by using a Command & Control (C&C) server. Like any backdoor Trojan worthy of the name, Troj/SWFDL-G's payload should be considered a high-level threat that endangers both your basic privacy and your ability to control your computer.

Anti-malware programs with web-browsing security features should be able to detect and block Troj/SWFDL-G attacks before they can install any malicious software. However, until Microsoft releases a security patch, SpywareRemove.com malware experts still encourage you to avoid using IE, since other web browsers will, hopefully, provide an equally helpful web-browsing experience while not sharing IE's current security risks.

Troj/SWFDL-G

Threat Metric

Troj/SWFDL-G – the PC Threat So Serious That Even Europe is in Arms Over It

The Trojan-Riddled Fate That Troj/SWFDL-G is Happy to Lead Your PC Towards

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