WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC

Posted: October 11, 2012

Threat Metric

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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:	5/10
Infected PCs:	40

First Seen:	October 11, 2012
Last Seen:	January 18, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC is a worm that compromises your computer to allow criminals to access and control it. Besides spreading via removable devices, WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC has been found to use misleading file names that make references to the US elections; this social engineering-based scam convinces victims to download and launch WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC's installer without even being aware of the danger. SpywareRemove.com malware experts recommend that you allow anti-malware scanners to find and remove all copies of WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC, which, as a worm, is capable of creating multiple copies of itself in diverse locations. Online searches also should be undertaken with care, since websites that install WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC worms have been known to exploit search engine optimization techniques to inflate their own rankings.

Political Tumult Transferred to Your Hard Drive with WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC's Help

WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC has two major methods to distribute itself, the first of which is typical for worms, the second of which has found itself in vogue for many types of PC threats as of the past few weeks. The following infection methods for WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC should be guarded against by anti-malware software and common sense, as appropriate:

Removable devices (such as USB thumb drives) may be infected by WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC. To do this, WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC creates hidden copies of itself that are able to install themselves on any computer that accesses the infected device. SpywareRemove.com malware researchers have attributed this to an Autorun-based exploit that worms often use, although this exploitable feature can be disabled.
Malicious sites that include links to WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC in the form of fake US presidential campaign information – articles, video clips, etc. Due to using SEO exploits, WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC-promoting websites can be listed high in the search results rankings for trustworthy search sites – at least, until they're blacklisted. Although WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC is a common payload in such attacks, other PC threats that also are associated with them include Marketscore adware (ADW_MARKETSCORE), malicious PDF droppers (HEUR_PDFEXP.E) and other types of worms (WORM_SILLY.SS).

The Need to Cut Down on WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC's Breeding

WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC creates duplicates of itself in all removable drive-based locations, opens a backdoor that can be used to attack your PC, modifies the Registry and prevents victims from being able to view Hidden files (including WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC). Given WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC's highly-reproducing nature, SpywareRemove.com malware research team doesn't recommend that you try to spot every copy of WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC yourself. Anti-malware programs should be used to find and delete all copies of WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC, with particular care taken to disinfect any removable devices.

Attacks by WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC can result in significant breaches of your PC's privacy and/or security. WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC can be utilized to set up other forms of malware, disable security-related features (Windows Update, Task Manager or Windows Firewall, for example), block programs, steal private information or delete files. However, WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC doesn't exhibit discreet symptoms, and SpywareRemove.com malware researchers warn that, without anti-malware protection, you may be unable to detect WORM_VOBFUS.SMAC.

Technical Details

File System Modifications

Tutorials: If you wish to learn how to remove malware components manually, you can read the tutorials on how to find malware, kill unwanted processes, remove malicious DLLs and delete other harmful files. Always be sure to back up your PC before making any changes.

The following files were created in the system:

%User Profile%\{RANDOM CHARACTERS}.exe

File name: %User Profile%\{RANDOM CHARACTERS}.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file

Sexy.exe

File name: Sexy.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file

Secret.exe

File name: Secret.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file

Porn.exe

File name: Porn.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file

Passwords.exe

File name: Passwords.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file

autorun.inf

File name: autorun.inf
Mime Type: unknown/inf
Group: Malware file

Registry Modifications

The following newly produced Registry Values are:

HKEY..\..\{Value}HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run {RANDOM CHARACTERS} = "%User Profile%\{RANDOM CHARACTERS}.exe /{RANDOM CHARACTERS}"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AUNoAutoUpdate = "1"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AdvancedShowSuperHidden = "0"