TSPY_MINOCDO.A

Posted: April 2, 2013

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:	19

First Seen:	April 2, 2013
Last Seen:	April 22, 2020
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

TSPY_MINOCDO.A is a specialized browser hijacker that redirects its victims to fake Facebook pages used for stealing their credit card information. Because TSPY_MINOCDO.A's redirects utilize Hosts file changes, they can function in all web browsers and will not-so-coincidentally block you from using the actual Facebook site – at least, until you remove TSPY_MINOCDO.A from your computer. SpywareRemove.com malware experts typically label browser hijackers as low-level PC threats, but due to TSPY_MINOCDO.A's promotion of especially dangerous sites, they rank TSPY_MINOCDO.A as, at least, a mid-level threat to your PC and recommend removing TSPY_MINOCDO.A immediately with an appropriately powerful anti-malware program.

Why the Face of TSPY_MINOCDO.A is the Last Thing You'd Want to See on Facebook

TSPY_MINOCDO.A is a browser hijacker that's devoted to a very specific kind of redirect: redirecting its victims from the actual Facebook to a copycat web page that's designed to look like a Facebook security check. Besides including the basic visual format of Facebook, these pages also appear to be hosted on separate backup servers, which SpywareRemove.com malware experts warn could allow the associated criminals to continue this scam for an extended period of time.

Upon trying to access Facebook, browsers attacked by TSPY_MINOCDO.A will be forced to load the fraudulent security check site instead of the real Facebook. This site asks you to make use of your credit card to confirm your account, a bold move that, naturally, is not a part of any type of real Facebook security procedure. While the credit card information is of most concern, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers note that TSPY_MINOCDO.A's copycat site also harvests your name, address and phone number. Together, all of this stolen information can be utilized to establish fraudulent credit card expenses, allowing criminals to use your credit to purchase goods without any warning signs – until you get the bill at the end of the month.

Exchanging TSPY_MINOCDO.A for the Real Visage of Facebook

Because TSPY_MINOCDO.A's fake web page requires its victims to enter the relevant information intentionally, self-education is (as usual) one of the best tools to defend your PC against these social engineering-based scams. Being familiar with the basic security procedures of websites that you frequent (such as Facebook) will allow you to spot outliers like TSPY_MINOCDO.A's web page and avoid giving them your personal information.

To resolve the actual TSPY_MINOCDO.A redirect attack, SpywareRemove.com malware analysts suggests using anti-malware programs to erase TSPY_MINOCDO.A, which may be installed along with any number of other PC threats. If, after disinfecting your PC, you still experience TSPY_MINOCDO.A-style redirects, you also may need to reset your Hosts file, which will remove the malicious modifications made by TSPY_MINOCDO.A. SpywareRemove.com malware experts also stress that there's no point in making changes to your browser to combat TSPY_MINOCDO.A redirects; TSPY_MINOCDO.A's redirects will continue as long as TSPY_MINOCDO.A is on your computer and its Hosts file changes still are in place.

TSPY_MINOCDO.A

Threat Metric

Why the Face of TSPY_MINOCDO.A is the Last Thing You'd Want to See on Facebook

Exchanging TSPY_MINOCDO.A for the Real Visage of Facebook

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