VBS_SOSYOS

Posted: December 5, 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:	1/10
Infected PCs:	47

First Seen:	December 5, 2013
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

VBS_SOSYOS is a worm that recently was identified as being engaged in an active campaign against Mexico, although smaller numbers of VBS_SOSYOS attacks also have been noted elsewhere, such as in South America. Malware experts consider VBS_SOSYOS somewhat more damaging to the host PC than a typical worm due to its method of self-duplication, which involves the deletion of original files on the affected PC. VBS_SOSYOS also appears to be targeting industrial industry segments of the private sector, and any workers at potentially targeted companies would do well to use all appropriate anti-malware precautions to detect, block and remove VBS_SOSYOS.

A Worm that Digs Harsh Tunnels Through Your Files

VBS_SOSYOS is part of a recent rise in Visual Basic-based threats that have been particularly notable in early November of this year. Although Visual Basic Trojans require the Windows .NET framework and, as such, can't affect non-Windows PCs very easily, their functions are still quite capable of harming vulnerable Windows systems. Malware researchers have identified three major attacks from VBS_SOSYOS, most of which are related to deleting files.

VBS_SOSYOS creates copies of itself as backups and distributes them throughout any accessible removable drives (such as USB devices). To hide these backups, VBS_SOSYOS names them after any already-present MP3, DWG or JPG files... and also deletes the original files with these names.
VBS_SOSYOS targets and deletes files related to computer-assisted design or CAD products. This often indicates that the threat in question is intended to compromise specific industries such as architectural or manufacturing companies.
VBS_SOSYOS also blocks some basic system maintenance and security tools, including the Task Manager – an important tool for identifying unwanted memory processes, programs and services.

The Right Pesticide for a Worm with Partial Immunity

VBS_SOSYOS may be equipped with defenses against standard Windows security products, but competent third-party anti-malware programs should be able to remove VBS_SOSYOS without any significant obstacles in their way. Any accessible USB devices also should be scanned, particularly for preventing VBS_SOSYOS from spreading to any other computers that may use the same devices. As noted previously, Mexican companies are particularly at risk for VBS_SOSYOS attacks, although they shouldn't be treated as its exclusive targets.

The VBS_SOSYOS campaign also places a good emphasis on the continual need for making regular backups of your important media and work-related files. PC users who take malware experts' advice and make daily backups to external sources will find themselves barely inconvenienced by VBS_SOSYOS. However, this worm's attacks may have permanent repercussions for PCs without backups for the affected file formats (music, image and CAD-related files).

Users of OSes like Mac and Linux will find themselves effectively immune to VBS_SOSYOS's current variants. However, it also should be remembered that other worms with similar attacks have expressed compatibility with other operating systems besides Windows.

VBS_SOSYOS

Threat Metric

A Worm that Digs Harsh Tunnels Through Your Files

The Right Pesticide for a Worm with Partial Immunity

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