W32/Zmist Removal

Zmist is a Trojan infection that is used to take over computer user's machines and expose their financial and personal data. Zmist poses a severe threat to computers. Zmist uses rootkit techniques to avoid detection and removal, making it particularly troublesome for computer users to remove Zmist. If your security software indicates the presence of Zmist on your computer, security researchers strongly recommend its immediate removal. Make sure that your security software is capable of dealing with rootkits and similar threats to certain that Zmist and all associated components are removed completely.

Why Trojans Such as Zmist are Created

There are many types of threats. Trojans like Zmist receive their name from the Trojan Horse of antiquity. They receive this name because of the way they carry out their attacks. Viruses are designed to corrupt and infect files on affected computers, and worms are capable of spreading from one computer to another very effectively. Unlike these types of threats, Trojans such as Zmist are incapable of spreading on their own. They require the computer users themselves to open a corrupted file. Because of this, Trojans may be disguised as legitimate or beneficial files or programs. When opened this file releases its payload, threatening code that allows the Trojan to carry out its operations on the user's computer. Zmist may allow third parties to access the affected computer from a remote location and is distributed using typical threat delivery techniques.

Common Ways in Which Zmist is Delivered

Since Trojans like Zmist cannot spread on their own, they rely on other threats or social engineering tactics in order to infect computers. Some ways in which Zmist and similar Trojans may spread include:

1. Zmist may spread using spam email attachments. Emails may be sent out containing an attached file or embedded link. In many cases, these emails may be sent out from computers that have been infected by a threat like Zmist. The text of the email may use social engineering to try to convince computer users that they must open an attachment or click on an inserted link. When the attached file is opened, or a link clicked on, it releases Zmist's payload, installing this threat on the user's computer. An example of this type of tactic is a fake email from FedEx or another delivery company. The email will claim that the victim has received a package and that the attached file contains the details of the package and other information. The email may be engineered to look authentic, making it difficult for inexperienced computer users to tell the difference between these types of threatening emails and authentic email messages.
2. Zmist may spread using attack websites and exploit kits. These types of websites are domains specifically designed to install threats on visitors' computers. Attack websites may contain exploit kits, which are components that will try to exploit numerous known vulnerabilities in the user's computer, software, Web browser and other components. These vulnerabilities may allow a remote party to execute code on the targeted computer, allowing the exploit kit to insert Zmist or other threats to the user's computer. Most of these vulnerabilities are patched in security updates, so it is recommended to ensure that all of your software is fully up-to-date at all times.
3. Zmist may spread using other threat infections.Threats rarely attack alone. In many cases, Zmist may be used to install other threats to the infected computer (for example, a keylogger in order to track all keys typed on the infected computer). Likewise, Zmist may be installed by other threats such as a rootkit or dropper Trojan on the infected computer.