Trojans

Shlayer is a trojan-based infection designed to cause a chain of multiple malware infiltrations on your device. The number of malware may vary from typical adware or fake search engine tools to more dreadful types like Ransomware that inevitably encrypts users' data. Once the trojan sneaks into the system it starts running scripts that install malware along the way. For example, the adware can distribute deceptive on-screen advertisements that redirect users to malicious resources that trick inexperienced people into downloading malware. All of these methods are basically developed for gathering personal information like passwords, geolocations, credentials, and other data that is transferred to third parties for income purposes. Shlayer Trojan has been spotted bundling Chumsearch Safari browser extension, MyShopCoupon, and fake optimization utilities like Mac Cleanup Pro that can also put your data at risk. Getting rid of Shlayer Trojan is the number one thing that you should do to prevent further infections. Thereafter, you will have to uninstall everything caused by the trojan to relieve your device from malware pressure.

Also known as Client Service Runtime Process, Csrss.exe is a legitimate system process that is essential to Windows health. It can be found running alongside other background processes in Task Manager. The native location Csrss.exe is always rooted to C:\Windows\System32\. If you find it present in other directories, more likely it is a virus infection disguised as a legitimate process. Cybercriminals take the names of Windows processes to hide trojans or similar software. By doing so, they also obscure scanning algorithms of anti-malware software, which sometimes struggles to define it as malware. Despite this, it is quite easy to determine whether this process is malicious or not. You can find it amongst the list of background processes in Task Manager, right-click on it and choose "Open file location" to see where it is. If you suspect it is a virus indeed, make sure to follow our guidelines below. The Csrss.exe process is known to be exploited by malware developers to hide malicious software that steals personal data and triggers the installation of other programs as well. This is why it is necessary to remove it as soon as possible before it deals severe privacy damage.

AbstractEmu is a high-risk Android virus detected in 7 applications available across legitimate Android app stores. Upon successful installation and interaction with one of these apps, the hidden AbstractEmu malware roots the whole smartphone to grant itself privileged rights over the system. It does not require any remote control - the activation of malware happens immediately once people start using an app. By doing so, AbstractEmu will have access to everything present inside of a device. The virus will be able to act on its purpose running various actions on a compromised system. This means developers behind AbstractEmu can manipulate your smartphone however they want - e.g. gather sensitive data, open apps, read personal chats, surveil your front camera, or even install additional malware. Such virus abilities are quite similar to what we saw with the FluBot spyware - already discussed on our blog. The range of platforms that distributed AbstractEmu-related apps were Google Play, Amazon Appstore, Samsung Galaxy Store, Aptoide, and even APKPure.

Discovered by MalwareHunterTeam, AnarchyGrabber is a type of virus designed for Discord users. It is meant to alter the index.js file inside of the Discord directory (%AppData%\Discord\[version]\modules\discord_desktop_core\) and hijack your data. By changing the inner code of the original file, it allows cybercriminals to upload malicious JavaScript files. This file should contain just one line: module.exports = require('./core.asar');. Everything else is from a trojan. To get rid of the malware, uninstall Discord, then check for the %AppData%\Roaming\discord directory (if it exists, delete it), and then reinstall the client. If this does not help, read the full guide below. Thus, when users log in to their Discord account, extortionists receive access to your contacts, account, servers, messages, and other discord-based content. Oftentimes, it is hard to detect AnarchyGrabber since it hides its activity behind Discord files which get ignored by anti-malware software. If you are unable to remove it manually, we will aid you in doing so below.

Also known as Geodo, Emotet is labeled as a banking trojan that was detected to infiltrate Windows systems. It was first researched by cyber experts in 2014 as a virus designed to steal sensitive information from users. The time development went on, Emotet experienced a couple of feature changes. For instance, apart from running surveillance over the data, it acquired the feature of injecting additional malware and other banking trojans to infected machines. Emotet forces its victims to undergo massive privacy issues and deterioration in system performance. Because such malware has to run a lot of non-native processes and send collected data to external servers, it is forced to eat a lot of system resources as well. This is why your PC performance can be affected so much leading to freezes, lags, and various other problems making normal usage simply impossible. Emotet has done a lot of attacks which made Department of Homeland Security write it on the list of the most damaging and costly malware for governments, organizations, and individuals ever existed.

Also known by the name of Rontokbro, Brontok is a banking worm that sweeps through the system in search of valuable information. The virus entrenches deep inside of your system and waits until some banking information is entered by users during the session. It can access any segment of your system and surveil whatever you do. The gathered information may therefore be sold or even used to scam you eventually. Usually, default Windows Defender detects the virus and reports Worm:Win32/Brontok was found. Unfortunately, the capacity of Windows Antivirus is not enough to avert Brontok penetrating the system. the worm prevents victims from updating certain security software, visiting antimalware websites, and modifying Windows Explorer folder options. It is also possible users will not be able to use some Windows features like Task Manager, Registry Editor, or Command Prompt. These tools can be used to terminate Brontok's activity, which is why it blocks access to them. All of these changes complicate the deletion of Brontok worm significantly. If you do not have the necessary knowledge to do it, it is better to entrust this challenge to instructions written by professionals.

STRRAT is a malicious program distributing through e-mail spam messages. Decoded, STRRAT refers to Remote Administration Trojan (RAT), which aims at hijacking sensitive data. The object of focus is usually hanging around login data saved in browsers or e-mail clients. A list of data usually includes banking credentials, passwords, history, IP addresses, and more personal intel representing the money value sought by the developers. STRRAT allows the extortionists standing behind to manage a PC of victims remotely. By doing so, they are able to read and sort out the information they need to extort. Web browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, and e-mail clients like Foxmail, Microsoft Outlook, and Mozilla Thunderbird can be easily tracked by the virus once it gets on the system. The stolen information can therefore be abused to perform illegitimate transactions and other fraudulent steps pursuing personal benefit. Technically, as STRRAT developers have access to affect your entire system, they are more than capable of installing other potentially dangerous software (e.g. ransomware, cryptocurrency mining programs, adware, browser hijackers, etc.).

Being a successor of Kronos, Ares is another trojan designed to collect banking data. Trojans are programs, which force the download of other malware. In our case, Ares is meant to install a program-spy called Ares Stealer. Once it settles down your system, the trojan will be able to read and record sensitive data entered during the usage. The main target is usually passwords, credit/debit card numbers, usernames, e-mail, and other banking-related information used on various websites or desktop applications. The worst part is that some users might not know that they are surveilled. They continue using and entering confidential data, which leaks to servers of cybercriminals. All credentials and other types of private intel collected by swindlers can be abused to make online transactions, sell your personal details, and more. Overall, the most obvious sign of trojans infesting your system is unusual computer behavior.