VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F

Posted: October 22, 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:	9,270
Threat Level:	2/10
Infected PCs:	2,686

First Seen:	October 22, 2012
Last Seen:	October 12, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F is a general label that's applied to malicious Autorun.inf files. VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F files can be used to cause malware, especially worms, to launch and install themselves on other computers automatically whenever a VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F-infected drive is accessed. Because VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F files are simple text-based configuration files, they aren't capable of harming your computer by themselves or of performing any actions other than assisting with the installation and/or launch of more advanced PC threats than themselves. SpywareRemove.com malware researchers have found most VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F detections in conjunction with various types of worms, and all types of VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F-related malware can be deleted with appropriate anti-malware tools.

The Importance of Covering All Your Bases When VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F is in the House

While the Virtool label can be applied to many types of subcomponents, utilities and exploits for almost any type of malware, VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F is specifically applied to Autorun.inf file exploits. A normal Autorun.inf file is a text file that instructs Windows on how to use AutoRun and AutoPlay features; for example, Autorun.inf can instruct Windows to open a particular CD menu program if the CD is inserted into your CD drive. However, a malicious Autorun.inf file, detected by the name VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F, is reconfigured to force Windows to load malware.

SpywareRemove.com malware research team notes that it's important to understand that VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F attacks can occur without any direct interaction with files on an infected drive. Plugging an infected USB drive, CD or other device into an uninfected computer is, in many cases, the only trigger that's required for VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F to launch. Since malware aren't forced to display obvious signs of this activity, VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F lets worms and other PC threats install themselves on multiple computers rapidly and without symptoms.

As a consequence of this vulnerable, SpywareRemove.com malware expert caution against casually sharing removable drive devices, such as USB thumb drives, between potentially infected and uninfected PCs. Devices should be scanned prior to reintroducing them to new computers, and most anti-malware applications should be capable of detecting both VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F and its associated malware. Most worms and other PC threats with worm distribution capabilities will label their files as hidden and alter your system settings to conceal Hidden files, which prevents the PC threat from showing up unless you use anti-malware software to detect VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F.

The Risks that VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F's Humble Text Exploits Can Enable

VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F attacks can be linked to many types of PC threats. Although worms are the most well-known users of VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F exploits, Win32/Xorer viruses, rootkits and other PC threats are also capable of using VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F to distribute themselves to new systems. As examples of the potential consequences to allowing VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F to run amuck, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers have presented the following list of Autorun.inf-abusing malware for 2012:

Infamous industrial saboteurs and spyware programs like Flame, which ravaged Middle Eastern companies, have been found to use VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F as one of several distribution methods.
Some members of the Gimemo Trojan family, which include Trojans capable of ransomware attacks (locking your PC, displaying a fraudulent legal alert and requesting money to undo the lockdown), also distribute themselves via VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F.
Some variants of Win32/Xorer can use both VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F and virus infector methods to infect new computers. Virus-style infections add their code to unrelated files (usually EXE files).

VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F's most widely-used aliases include VirTool.INF.Autorun, W32/Autorun-BFW, INF/Autorun and INF/AutoRun.FY. Since VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F is, as of this year, still ranked as an extremely common type of malware, appropriate security software and procedures should be used to avoid VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F attacks and remove VirTool:INF/Autorun.gen!F regularly.

Technical Details

Additional Information

The following URL's were detected:

getvideoair.ru