Troj/SWFExp-AI

Posted: February 3, 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:	2/10
Infected PCs:	93

First Seen:	February 3, 2012
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Troj/SWFExp-AI is a form of malicious Flash code that's used to facilitate the installation of other PC threats. Due to Troj/SWFExp-AI's small size (in some cases, as little as 1.4K), there may be few or no indications that Troj/SWFExp-AI is working to install other PC threats. However, SpywareRemove.com malware experts have noted that recent Troj/SWFExp-AI attacks, linked to mass-mailed e-mail, require the victim to download and install a Trojan file attachment before Troj/SWFExp-AI can trigger. This allows a combination of online safety protocols and possession of solid anti-malware software to prevent your PC from being affected by Troj/SWFExp-AI attacks.

Seeing Troj/SWFExp-AI Before It Has a Chance to Hit Your PC

Widespread protection against Troj/SWFExp-AI has been available since mid-2011, but SpywareRemove.com malware experts recommend that you keep your anti-malware programs, e-mail clients and other software more updated than that, since PC threats that are related to Troj/SWFExp-AI have only been protected against since early 2012. Recent spam e-mails that include Troj/SWFExp-AI attacks have been known to portray themselves as fake account suspension messages from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. These e-mail messages include a file attachment, Troj/JSRedir-EX, and other PC threats, such as Troj/PDFJS-UL and Troj/PDFEx-ET. However, as long as you refrain from accessing the relevant file attachment, SpywareRemove.com malware experts are glad to note that Troj/SWFExp-AI is incapable of attacking your computer (despite claims to the contrary from some news sources). This e-mail can also be recognized by its 'Banking Security Update' subject.

If you did make the miscalculation of opening the file attachment for a Troj/SWFExp-AI e-mail, you should consider your PC as good as infected by Trojans; this situation can be remedied by hasty usage of appropriate anti-malware software. Failing to do this can result in your computer being attacked by password theft, browser redirects, reduced security and other issues that are common to Trojans like those that Troj/SWFExp-AI helps install.

Securing Your E-mail Account Against a Troj/SWFExp-AI Sneak-In

As a Flash-based attack, Troj/SWFExp-AI can be deflected with absolute impunity by simply using a computer that doesn't have flash installed (or support its installation). It's also recommended that you keep Flash disabled for suspicious websites or sites that use third-party advertisements that may make use of Troj/SWFExp-AI exploits. However, SpywareRemove.com malware research team also notes that if all of the above solutions are impractical, good anti-malware products should be able to detect Troj/SWFExp-AI attacks and stop them before they can succeed.

Because Troj/SWFExp-AI can be used to install a variety of other PC threats, you should expect symptoms and damage from a Troj/SWFExp-AI attack to vary. Nonetheless, anti-malware scans by appropriately updated software should be able to find, identify and remove all Troj/SWFExp-AI-related PC threats, as long as they're given the appropriate database updates with which to do so.

Troj/SWFExp-AI

Threat Metric

Seeing Troj/SWFExp-AI Before It Has a Chance to Hit Your PC

Securing Your E-mail Account Against a Troj/SWFExp-AI Sneak-In

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