Home Malware Programs Trojans Zemot

Zemot

Posted: September 11, 2014

Threat Metric

Threat Level: 9/10
Infected PCs: 117
First Seen: September 11, 2014
Last Seen: May 22, 2023
OS(es) Affected: Windows


Zemot is a variant of Upatre, a group of Trojan downloaders noted for distributing spyware and related high-level threats. Although Zemot originally was identified in 2013, Zemot continues to be in distribution, with tens of thousands of infected PCs estimated in recent months. Besides sharing Upatre's e-mail-based distribution scam, Zemot also is installed through exploits on compromised websites, and a Zemot infection does not necessarily correlate with any visible symptoms. Passive security features provided by anti-malware products can offer protection from Zemot or remove Zemot (and its payload) when necessary.

Zemot: A Trafficker in Trojan Deities

Zemot is one of the many PC threats to distribute variants of Trojan Zeus or Zbot, along with borrowing some of that Trojan family's code for its secondary modules (to disable security features and enable threatening traffic). Zemot's payloads crystallize around a focus on backdoor Trojans and spyware that are capable of collecting account login information, especially for bank websites. Another prominent, albeit less dangerous function, included in Zemot payloads is click-fraud, or the ability to generate artificial 'clicks' for advertisement traffic bonuses. The latter occasionally causes major system slowdown and performance issues that are a direct result of the threat using most of your system's resources in background processes.

Originally, Zemot was named TrojanDownloader:Win32/Upatre.B, but it also bears sufficient distinguishing traits worth rating Zemot as a threat of its own. Malware researchers have confirmed two separate distribution methods for Zemot that particularly set Zemot apart:

  • E-mail spam distributed by Trojans like Kuluoz occasionally is one-half of Zemot's distribution strategy. File attachments included in these e-mail messages disguise themselves as harmless files, but, once opened, install Zemot, which installs other threats, in its turn.
  • Zemot also sometimes is installed through hostile or hacked Web domains. These domains are modified to include appropriate exploits, often utilized through 'exploit kits' like the Nuclear Pack or Magnitude. These packs are designed to detect multiple vulnerabilities, exploiting whichever one is most appropriate, and usually will not require any consent (or awareness) on the victim's part.

Keeping Zemot on a Downward Spiral

At its high end, Zemot is suspected to have compromised over thirty thousand PCs, but currently, its numbers are under one-third of that maximum. Until PC security institutions and law enforcement can fully combat the servers used by Zemot for accomplishing its attacks, you should consider your computer's defenses to keep your system uninfected. While avoiding spam e-mail is a simple enough procedure, malware experts warn that many exploit kits based on websites use attacks that may be difficult or impossible to track by eye, and warnings from your anti-malware products may be your only notification of such a possible attack. Updating your software can reduce the vulnerability your PC has to these attacks.

Any comprehensive effort at deleting Zemot also should involve anti-malware scans of your entire system. By definition, Zemot is designed to assist with the installation of other malware, and Zemot also has been seen installing different payloads besides Zeus. Currently, Zemot also is configured to use unique file names for its payloads that may result in multiple instances of a single threat on one PC (such as multiple versions of Rovnix, a boot sector rootkit).

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:



%TEMP%\UpdateFlashPlayer_b61c21a2.exe File name: %TEMP%\UpdateFlashPlayer_b61c21a2.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file
%TEMP%\Java_Update_5a8bf3e9.exe File name: %TEMP%\Java_Update_5a8bf3e9.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file
%TEMP%\Java_Update_<random_characters>.exe File name: %TEMP%\Java_Update_<random_characters>.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file
%TEMP%\UpdateFlashPlayer_<random_characters>.exe File name: %TEMP%\UpdateFlashPlayer_<random_characters>.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file
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