Trojan.Win32.FraudST.at

Trojan.Win32.FraudST.at, the Leading Malware Threat In 2011

In the fall of 2011, ESG PC security researchers identified the Trojan.Win32.FraudST.at Trojan as the leading malware threat in phishing scams and worldwide infections. This dangerous threat has been associated with a spam email advertising illegal online pharmacies and scams involving a spam email promoting fake medical products. The Trojan.Win32.FraudST.at Trojan has been associated with phishing attacks targeting Facebook users and PayPal users. ESG malware analysts recommend protecting your computer from the Trojan.Win32.FraudST.at Trojan by using a legitimate, fully-updated anti-malware tool.

The Trojan.Win32.FraudST.at Trojan, a Versatile Weapon in a Hacker’s Arsenal

While the Trojan.Win32.FraudST.at Trojan has been associated mostly with these kinds of spam email from fraudulent pharmaceutical companies, its main goal is to infiltrate a computer system and to allow a hacker to control it from afar. This means that, while the hackers using the Trojan.Win32.FraudST.at Trojan were mostly using it to force infected computers to send out this kind of spam email, it could have just as easily been used to perform Distributed Denial of Service attacks, or to install keyloggers and other data-theft applications. The main purpose of the Trojan.Win32.FraudST.at Trojan is to connect to a remote server, download harmful content and establish a hole in the infected computer's security. Taking advantage of this security hole, a hacker can use the Trojan.Win32.FraudST.at Trojan to infiltrate the victim's computer, in order to carry out any number of potential criminal activities.

The Trojan.Win32.FraudST.at Trojan is Used Mostly in Phishing Scams

Unlike viruses or worms, most versions of the Trojan.Win32.FraudST.at Trojan cannot reproduce or spread on their own; they rely on social engineering and deception, in order to make their way onto the victim's computer system. This is why malware such as the Trojan.Win32.FraudST.at Trojan is especially well suited for use in phishing scams, both through spam email, social networks, such as Twitter or Facebook and instant messaging applications. Typically, the user will receive an email, which will prompt the victim to open an included attachment or to click on an embedded link. These emails are usually designed to appear as comming from trusted institutions or from people or companies that may be familiar to the victim. Criminals often take advantage of trending news topics (such as the death of Steve Jobs or the release of a new iPad) or popular interests (such as leaked nude pictures of a celebrity) in order to trick their victims into opening their spam email attachment and contaminating their computer system with the Trojan.Win32.FraudST.at Trojan.