SmartService
Threat Scorecard
EnigmaSoft Threat Scorecard
EnigmaSoft Threat Scorecards are assessment reports for different malware threats which have been collected and analyzed by our research team. EnigmaSoft Threat Scorecards evaluate and rank threats using several metrics including real-world and potential risk factors, trends, frequency, prevalence, and persistence. EnigmaSoft Threat Scorecards are updated regularly based on our research data and metrics and are useful for a wide range of computer users, from end users seeking solutions to remove malware from their systems to security experts analyzing threats.
EnigmaSoft Threat Scorecards display a variety of useful information, including:
Ranking: The ranking of a particular threat in EnigmaSoft’s Threat Database.
Severity Level: The determined severity level of an object, represented numerically, based on our risk modeling process and research, as explained in our Threat Assessment Criteria.
Infected Computers: The number of confirmed and suspected cases of a particular threat detected on infected computers as reported by SpyHunter.
See also Threat Assessment Criteria.
| Threat Level: | 80 % (High) |
| Infected Computers: | 108 |
| First Seen: | April 27, 2017 |
| Last Seen: | January 25, 2020 |
| OS(es) Affected: | Windows |
SmartService is a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP) that is marketed as a way for computer users to browse the Web using a private VPN. These services can be quite attractive to many computer users, but may often be linked to potentially threatening software or other hoaxes (particularly in the free VPNs that generate revenue with these questionable methods). There are several unwanted aspects of SmartService that can affect computer users. SmartService includes Trojan.Clicker and sMark5, a module with certain characteristics similar to a rootkit. Both of these components are installed along with SmartService on the affected computer and may cause various issues on the affected machine, as well as expose it to numerous online threats. SMark5 is designed to protect SmartService and its associated Trojan from detection and removal and the Trojan.Clicker add-on loads advertisements on the affected computer by using hidden instances of Internet Explorer, also communicating in the background with various online advertising and marketing platforms. The marketing content may use system resources and bandwidth while also may cause various problems on the affected PC.
Table of Contents
The Problems with the sMark5 Module that may be Associated to the SmartService’s Presence
This module is designed to install a system drive on the Windows operating system, monitoring the victim's computer and preventing security software and other programs from accessing certain elements of the infected computer. This unwanted add-on is designed to load intothe memory whenever Windows starts up, protecting SmartService and the adware associated with this PUP. This add-on also may interfere with legitimate security software installed on the affected computer, preventing it from detecting the presence of SmartService and removing it from the victim's computer. This add-on raises the threat to the affected PC, making it more vulnerable toparasiteds and to online threats. This unwanted components may be installed or associated with the files located in any of the following directories:
- %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\ewjipbsd\
- %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\llssoft\winvmx\data662
- %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\ntuserlitelist\dataup\
- %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\ntuserlitelist\svcvmx\
- C:\Program Files (x86)\s5\
- C:\Windows\System32\GWX\Download
- C:\windows\system32\
SmartService’s Trojan.Clicker Add-On
The main purpose of this Trojan add-on is to load advertisements on the victim's computer, using the victim's PC to generate advertisement revenue. Computer users may notice that numerous file processes named 'vmxclient.exe' appear on the Windows Task Manager after installing SmartService. These file processes are related to this Trojan.Clicker add-on directly, and are designed to connect to various advertising servers using hidden instances of Internet Explorer. This may cause numerous issues with the bandwidth and system resource use, making the infected computer slower or prone to crashing and instability. This Trojan add-on may attempt to connect to the following websites (among others):
- ad.yeildmanager.com
- cs.ffbtas.com
- dsum.casalemedia.com
- ffcdn.featureforward.com
- k.streamrail.com
- partners.tremorhub.com
Dealing with SmartService and Similar PUPs
Many of the advertisement platforms used by SmartService are legitimate and can be used to generate revenue through advertisements decent ways. However, SmartService and its associated PUP may abuse them, by forcing victims to visit the websites repeatedly to make money from advertising and inflate the advertising and traffic numbers artificially. PC security researchers strongly advise computer users to avoid installing SmartService or similar software, since they can pose a real threat to the computers' security and data. Use a security program that is fully up-to-date to prevent the problems that may be related to SmartService and remove this threat from the affected computer. In many cases, the sMark5 add-on can be quite difficult to deal with, particularly because of its ability to interfere with the Windows Operating System and function in a manner similar to a rootkit. Because of this, ensure that you are using a strong security program with anti-rootkit capabilities and follow up with multiple security solutions if the problems persist and your current security software does not seem to find the culprit.
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