W32.StuxnetQKY.Trojan

Posted: January 23, 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:	1/10
Infected PCs:	48

First Seen:	January 23, 2012
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

W32.StuxnetQKY.Trojan is a virus-based member of the Stuxnet family, a subgroup of PC threats that's composed of both worm components and assisting Trojans. Although W32.StuxnetQKY.Trojan and other Stuxnet-based PC threats have been, by all appearances, designed for industrial sabotage, they can still be a danger to other computers, and recent reports from PC security companies like Bkav have indicated that the W32.StuxnetQKY.Trojan virus has proliferated to a surprisingly wide degree, placing W32.StuxnetQKY.Trojan in the same ranks as Sality variants like W32.Sality.PE and W32.AutoRunUSB.Worm. Since W32.StuxnetQKY.Trojan will usually be accompanied by other components of a Stuxnet infection, you should remove W32.StuxnetQKY.Trojan with scans by suitable anti-malware programs that can detect and delete W32.StuxnetQKY.Trojan, as well as other Stuxnet-based PC threats.

W32.StuxnetQKY.Trojan – Just a Small Part of Your Stuxnet Problems

As a virus, W32.StuxnetQKY.Trojan lacks an independent file, instead operating by injecting its code into other files that are usually launched in an automatic fashion. W32.StuxnetQKY.Trojan injections are usually created by other components of a Stuxnet infection, which, themselves, can use rootkit-based techniques to hide from both you and your anti-malware programs. However, since a major exploit (noted in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-046) that Stuxnet used to install itself has since been patched out of existence, simply keeping Windows up-to-date should afford your PC an ample amount of protection against W32.StuxnetQKY.Trojan and other Stuxne-derived PC threats.

In addition to noting the importance of OS updates, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers also warn that W32.StuxnetQKY.Trojan and other Stuxnet Trojans can also propagate via removable drives and local networks. Stuxnet worms are able to infect any PC that accesses a network-shared location on an infected PC, as well as any PC that shares a removable HD device (such as a USB drive) with a Stuxnet-infected computer. Avoiding unnecessary sharing of resources will allow you to minimize the spread of W32.StuxnetQKY.Trojan and other Stuxnet components until you can remove them with an appropriate anti-malware program.

Don't Let W32.StuxnetQKY.Trojan Sabotage Your PC

Other than unusual resource allocation and warnings from your security software, symptoms from W32.StuxnetQKY.Trojan may be minor or not present. As a cooperative part of a multi-component Stuxnet infection, W32.StuxnetQKY.Trojan may attempt to launch concealed browser instances, gather identifying information about your PC, take screenshots, download and install other types of Stuxnet components or assist with Stuxnet's propagation to other computers. Even though Stuxnet explicitly targets Siemens-brand industrial software, variants of Stuxnet and new instructions that W32.StuxnetQKY.Trojan downloads may also allow Stuxnet to be a danger to non-industrial computers.

The impressively advanced methods that W32.StuxnetQKY.Trojan and other Stuxnet components use to hide themselves and load other pieces of Stuxnet cause SpywareRemove.com malware experts to discourage any efforts at removing W32.StuxnetQKY.Trojan without assistance. Anti-malware software, ideally software that's equipped with all available PC threat database updates, should be used to scan your entire PC and root out all aspects of Stuxnet, including files that have been infected by W32.StuxnetQKY.Trojan. Without automated help or assistance from a PC security expert, your chances of catching all aspects of a Stuxnet infection while deleting W32.StuxnetQKY.Trojan can be considered incredibly low. Other Stuxnet components that you may also find in a scan include Trojan:Win32/Stuxnet.A, Worm:Win32/Stuxnet.B, Worm:Win32/Stuxnet.A, TrojanDropper:Win32/Stuxnet.A, Exploit:Win32/CplLnk.A, Trojan:Win32/Duqu.A, Trojan:Win32/Duqu.B and Trojan:Win32/Duqu.C.

Technical Details

Additional Information

The following URL's were detected:

simpleconverters.com