W32/Patched.UA
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: | 90 % (High) |
| Infected Computers: | 1 |
| First Seen: | July 18, 2012 |
| Last Seen: | July 1, 2020 |
| OS(es) Affected: | Windows |
W32/Patched.UA is a kind of malware application known as a patch. W32/Patched.UA is associated with a Trojan attack designed to infiltrate the victim's computer in order to steal sensitive data, carry out other attacks or use the infected computer system for malicious purposes. Like most malware attacks that use patch techniques, W32/Patched.UA is quite difficult to remove and requires the use of an advanced anti-malware application. Since W32/Patched.UA infects a crucial system file, incorrect removal can damage your operating system. Because of this, ESG security analysts strongly discourage manual removal of this malware threat.
A patch in itself is not necessarily malicious. By definition, a patch is used to take a file and change a tiny portion of its code. This is often used to bypass DRM or license validation or to gain access to extra, hidden functions in a file. These kinds of patches are not necessarily malicious and are implemented with full knowledge of the computer user. However, ESG security researchers classify W32/Patched.UA in a different category of patches. This second kind of patch is malicious in that it makes these changes without the victim's knowledge. To carry out its attack, W32/Patched.UA makes changes to vital system files. By patching these files, W32/Patched.UA allows criminals to gain backdoor access to the infected computer system. A common example of how W32/Patched.UA allows criminals to do this involves changing the start-up key in the Windows Registry so that it will run malware as soon as the infected operating system starts up.
Differentiating W32/Patched.UA from Viruses and Other Malware
Unlike viruses, W32/Patched.UA and other patches do not spread by themselves. Rather than entirely corrupting or replacing files, malware like W32/Patched.UA makes tiny changes to specific system files. W32/Patched.UA cannot spread by itself and will usually require the use of social engineering or a secondary malware infection in order to attack a computer system. Malware infections similar to W32/Patched.UA will often work together with worms or viruses in order to spread to other computer systems or files on the infected computer. W32/Patched.UA will always target system files, often targeting vital DLL files that run automatically when Windows starts up. Because of the fact that W32/Patched.UA cannot spread by itself, W32/Patched.UA is also often classified as a Trojan. Due to the fact that W32/Patched.UA infects the services.exe process and does not create a specific file process, W32/Patched.UA is difficult to remove or detect.
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