Trojan.Ardamax

The detection of Trojan.Ardamax on your system indicates a potential security threat that requires immediate attention. Trojans are a type of malware designed to allow unauthorized access to a computer system, and Trojan.Ardamax is no exception. In this removal report, we will guide you through understanding what Trojan.Ardamax is, how it operates, the symptoms of infection, and most importantly, how to remove it from your system.

What Is Trojan.Ardamax?

Trojan.Ardamax is identified as a Trojan-type threat, which means it is designed to deceive users into installing it on their systems by disguising itself as legitimate software. Once installed, it can cause a variety of problems, including data theft, system crashes, and the installation of additional malware. The name Trojan.Ardamax itself does not directly imply a specific malware family, but its classification as a Trojan indicates its potential for causing harm by exploiting the trust of its victims.

How Trojan.Ardamax Operates

Trojans like Trojan.Ardamax typically operate by creating a backdoor on the infected system, allowing remote access to the system by the attacker. This can lead to a range of malicious activities, including the theft of sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers, and personal data. They can also be used to install additional malware, participate in botnet activities, or even hold the system for ransom. The operation of Trojan.Ardamax can vary, but its primary goal is to compromise the security and integrity of the infected system.

Symptoms of Infection

Identifying the symptoms of a Trojan.Ardamax infection can be challenging, as Trojans are designed to be stealthy. However, common signs include unexpected system crashes, slow system performance, unusual network activity, and the appearance of unfamiliar programs or icons. If you suspect that your system has been infected with Trojan.Ardamax, it is crucial to take immediate action to mitigate any potential damage.

How to Remove Trojan.Ardamax

1. Boot your system into Safe Mode with Networking to prevent Trojan.Ardamax from loading and to give you a cleaner environment to work in.
2. Download and install a reputable anti-malware tool, such as SpyHunter, and perform a full scan of your system to detect and remove Trojan.Ardamax and any other malware that may be present.
3. Uninstall any suspicious programs that you do not recognize or that were installed around the time you believe your system became infected.
4. Reset your web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, etc.) to their default settings to remove any malicious extensions or settings that Trojan.Ardamax may have altered.
5. Reboot your system and perform another full scan with your anti-malware tool to ensure that Trojan.Ardamax and all associated malware have been successfully removed.

Conclusion

The removal of Trojan.Ardamax requires careful and immediate action to prevent further damage to your system and to protect your personal data. By following the steps outlined in this report, you should be able to remove Trojan.Ardamax and restore the security and integrity of your system. Remember, prevention is key; always be cautious when installing software, avoid suspicious links and emails, and keep your anti-malware software up to date to protect against future threats.

Analysis Report

General information

Family Name:	Keylogger.Ardamax
Signature status:	No Signature

Known Samples

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Known Samples

This section lists other file samples believed to be associated with this family.

MD5: fd95ced96288d0c2d22d8044ab7f117d SHA1: f2669903baeed765a23010f231141cfe4b94749c SHA256: AB11EED347EDCD561D6EB09AD49849BB2468FB0A67A6E437286029C10DFBCC0E File Size: 1.63 MB, 1625900 bytes

Windows Portable Executable Attributes

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Windows Portable Executable Attributes

This section lists file attributes found within family samples. These attributes are extracted from the files’ Windows PE (Portable Executable) specification and various system flags. Portable Executable Attributes give malware researchers insight into a file’s functionality, executable details, platform and runtime environment.

• File doesn't have "Rich" header
• File doesn't have debug information
• File doesn't have exports table
• File doesn't have relocations information
• File doesn't have security information
• File is 32-bit executable
• File is either console or GUI application
• File is GUI application (IMAGE_SUBSYSTEM_WINDOWS_GUI)
• File is Native application (NOT .NET application)
• File is not packed

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• IMAGE_FILE_DLL is not set inside PE header (Executable)
• IMAGE_FILE_EXECUTABLE_IMAGE is set inside PE header (Executable Image)

File Icons

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File Icons

This section displays icon resources found within family samples. Malware often replicates icons commonly associated with legitimate software to mislead users into believing the malware is safe.

Files Modified

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Files Modified

This section lists files that were created, modified, moved and/or deleted by samples in this family. File system activity can provide valuable insight into how malware functions on the operating system.

File	Attributes
c:\users\user\appdata\local\temp\nst3ed1.tmp	Synchronize,Write Attributes
c:\users\user\appdata\local\temp\nst3ed1.tmp\callansiplugin.dll	Generic Write,Read Attributes
c:\users\user\appdata\local\temp\nst3ed1.tmp\callansiplugin.dll	Synchronize,Write Attributes
c:\users\user\appdata\local\temp\nst3ed1.tmp\dcryptdll.dll	Generic Write,Read Attributes
c:\users\user\appdata\local\temp\nst3ed1.tmp\dcryptdll.dll	Synchronize,Write Attributes
c:\users\user\appdata\local\temp\nst3ed1.tmp\system.dll	Generic Write,Read Attributes
c:\users\user\appdata\local\temp\nst3ed1.tmp\system.dll	Synchronize,Write Attributes
c:\users\user\appdata\local\temp\nst3ed1.tmp\uac.dll	Generic Write,Read Attributes
c:\users\user\appdata\local\temp\nst3ed1.tmp\uac.dll	Synchronize,Write Attributes

Registry Modifications

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Registry Modifications

This section lists registry keys and values that were created, modified and/or deleted by samples in this family. Windows Registry activity can provide valuable insight into malware functionality. Additionally, malware often creates registry values to allow itself to automatically start and indefinitely persist after an initial infection has compromised the system.

Key::Value	Data	API Name
HKCU\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\explorer::slowcontextmenuentries	`$�!�:i��+00�� �Gs]XM���"�2� �FX D�':D��exA-��LG=�A��J� �C �	RegNtPreCreateKey
HKCU\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\internet settings\5.0\cache\content::cacheprefix		RegNtPreCreateKey
HKCU\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\internet settings\5.0\cache\cookies::cacheprefix	Cookie:	RegNtPreCreateKey
HKCU\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\internet settings\5.0\cache\history::cacheprefix	Visited:	RegNtPreCreateKey
HKLM\software\microsoft\windows nt\currentversion\notifications\data::418a073aa3bc1c75	�k �8�1tX�jg�8 �� �v�Z xy ��T�����1���5����Bx�R �7!wz#�#�� $kF %:�&� '�(�(X�)�`*J*9 *�" +�[+��,��-!R/9�/��1`1�1HO1�D5�09ߔ<.:>3�@V�G�IH[uH�pI��J��K��N$ R20U_*	RegNtPreCreateKey
HKLM\system\controlset001\control\session manager::pendingfilerenameoperations	*1\??\C:\Windows\SystemTemp\MicrosoftEdgeUpdate.exe.old122e4*1\??\C:\Windows\SystemTemp\CopilotUpdate.exe.old12352*1\??\C:\P	RegNtPreCreateKey
HKLM\software\microsoft\windows nt\currentversion\notifications\data::418a073aa3bc1c75	�k �8�1tX�jg�8 �� �v�Z xy ����T�����1���5����Bx�R �7!wz#�#�� $kF %:�&� '�(�(X�)�`*J*9 *�" +�[+��,��-!R/9�/��1`1�1HO1�D5�09ߔ<.:>3�@V�G�IH[uH�pI��J��K��N$ R20	RegNtPreCreateKey
HKLM\software\microsoft\windows nt\currentversion\notifications\data::418a073aa3bc1c75	�k �8�1tX�jg�8 �� �v�Z xy ����T�����1���5����Bx�R �7!wz#�#�� $kF %:�&� '�(�(X�)�`*J*9 *�" +�[+��,��-!R/9�/��1`1�1HO1�D5�09ߔ<.:>3�@V�G�IH[uH�pI��J��K��N$ R20	RegNtPreCreateKey
HKCU\software\microsoft\edge\blbeacon::failed_count		RegNtPreCreateKey
HKCU\software\microsoft\edge\blbeacon::state		RegNtPreCreateKey

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HKCU\software\microsoft\edge\thirdparty::statuscodes	(NULL)	RegNtPreCreateKey
HKCU\software\microsoft\edge\thirdparty::statuscodes		RegNtPreCreateKey
HKCU\software\microsoft\edge\elfbeacon::version	143.0.3650.96	RegNtPreCreateKey
HKCU\software\microsoft\edge\blbeacon::failed_count		RegNtPreCreateKey
HKCU\software\microsoft\edge\blbeacon::state		RegNtPreCreateKey

Windows API Usage

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Windows API Usage

This section lists Windows API calls that are used by the samples in this family. Windows API usage analysis is a valuable tool that can help identify malicious activity, such as keylogging, security privilege escalation, data encryption, data exfiltration, interference with antivirus software, and network request manipulation.

Category	API
Process Manipulation Evasion	NtUnmapViewOfSection ReadProcessMemory
Process Shell Execute	CreateProcess ShellExecute
Syscall Use	ntdll.dll!NtAccessCheck ntdll.dll!NtAlpcSendWaitReceivePort ntdll.dll!NtApphelpCacheControl ntdll.dll!NtAssociateWaitCompletionPacket ntdll.dll!NtClose ntdll.dll!NtCreateFile ntdll.dll!NtCreateMutant ntdll.dll!NtCreateSection ntdll.dll!NtCreateSemaphore ntdll.dll!NtDeleteValueKey Show More ntdll.dll!NtDuplicateToken ntdll.dll!NtFreeVirtualMemory ntdll.dll!NtMapViewOfSection ntdll.dll!NtOpenFile ntdll.dll!NtOpenKey ntdll.dll!NtOpenKeyEx ntdll.dll!NtOpenProcessToken ntdll.dll!NtOpenProcessTokenEx ntdll.dll!NtOpenSection ntdll.dll!NtOpenThreadTokenEx ntdll.dll!NtPowerInformation ntdll.dll!NtProtectVirtualMemory ntdll.dll!NtQueryAttributesFile ntdll.dll!NtQueryInformationProcess ntdll.dll!NtQueryInformationThread ntdll.dll!NtQueryInformationToken ntdll.dll!NtQueryKey ntdll.dll!NtQueryLicenseValue ntdll.dll!NtQueryPerformanceCounter ntdll.dll!NtQuerySecurityObject ntdll.dll!NtQuerySystemInformation ntdll.dll!NtQuerySystemInformationEx ntdll.dll!NtQueryValueKey ntdll.dll!NtQueryVirtualMemory ntdll.dll!NtReadRequestData ntdll.dll!NtReleaseMutant ntdll.dll!NtReleaseWorkerFactoryWorker ntdll.dll!NtSetEvent ntdll.dll!NtSetInformationVirtualMemory ntdll.dll!NtSetInformationWorkerFactory ntdll.dll!NtSetValueKey ntdll.dll!NtTestAlert ntdll.dll!NtWaitForSingleObject ntdll.dll!NtWaitForWorkViaWorkerFactory ntdll.dll!NtWriteFile UNKNOWN

Shell Command Execution

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Shell Command Execution

This section lists Windows shell commands that are run by the samples in this family. Windows Shell commands are often leveraged by malware for nefarious purposes and can be used to elevate security privileges, download and launch other malware, exploit vulnerabilities, collect and exfiltrate data, and hide malicious activity.

open http://www.ardamax.com/keylogger/

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe" --edge-skip-compat-layer-relaunch --single-argument http://www.ardamax.com/keylogger/