Trojan.Prinimalka

Posted: October 30, 2012

Threat Metric

The Threat Meter is a malware assessment that SpywareRemove.com's research team is able to give every identifiable malware threat. Our Threat Meter includes several criteria based off of specific malware threats to value their severity, reach and volume. The Threat Meter is able to give you a numerical breakdown of each threat's initial Threat Level, Detection Count, Volume Count, Trend Path and Percentage Impact. The overall ranking of each threat in the Threat Meter is a basic breakdown of how all threats are ranked within our own extensive malware database. The scoring for each specific malware threat can be easily compared to other emerging threats to draw a contrast in its particular severity. The Threat Meter is a useful tool in the endeavor of seeking a solution to remove a threat or pursue additional analytical research for all types of computer users.

The following fields listed on the Threat Meter containing a specific value, are explained in detail below:

Threat Level: The threat level scale goes from 1 to 10 where 10 is the highest level of severity and 1 is the lowest level of severity. Each specific level is relative to the threat's consistent assessed behaviors collected from SpyHunter's risk assessment model.

Detection Count: The collective number of confirmed and suspected cases of a particular malware threat. The detection count is calculated from infected PCs retrieved from diagnostic and scan log reports generated by SpyHunter.

Volume Count: Similar to the detection count, the Volume Count is specifically based on the number of confirmed and suspected threats infecting systems on a daily basis. High volume counts usually represent a popular threat but may or may not have infected a large number of systems. High detection count threats could lay dormant and have a low volume count. Criteria for Volume Count is relative to a daily detection count.

Trend Path: The Trend Path, utilizing an up arrow, down arrow or equal symbol, represents the level of recent movement of a particular threat. Up arrows represent an increase, down arrows represent a decline and the equal symbol represent no change to a threat's recent movement.

% Impact (Last 7 Days): This demonstrates a 7-day period change in the frequency of a malware threat infecting PCs. The percentage impact correlates directly to the current Trend Path to determine a rise or decline in the percentage.

Threat Level:	9/10
Infected PCs:	21

First Seen:	October 30, 2012
Last Seen:	February 18, 2022
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Trojan.Prinimalka is an updated variant of the Gozi Trojan and, like Gozi, is used to steal personal information from online accounts. Trojan.Prinimalka's place in malware history is assured due to its planned usage in the upcoming Project Blitzkrieg, a Russian-based botnet attack that's designed to conduct fraudulent cash transactions with dozens of United States banks. Although the affected banks have been warned by appropriate authorities, SpywareRemove.com malware experts note that US banks still lag behind those of other first-world countries in terms of their transaction security measures. Since Trojan.Prinimalka is a sophisticated PC threat with as-of-yet unconfirmed infection vectors and no visible symptoms, you should delete Trojan.Prinimalka only with suitably advanced anti-malware products, if your computer has the misfortune to be infected.

The Price You Pay for Being a Recipient of Trojan.Prinimalka's Attentions

Trojan.Prinimalka or Gozi Prinimalka, based on the Russian word for 'receive,' is a spyware program that's designed to target bank accounts. Trojan.Prinimalka attacks, like those of the original Gozi, use man-in-the-browser or MitB techniques to inject malicious code into any bank site's web pages from the end of the PC user. This lets Trojan.Prinimalka initiate fraudulent transactions that can steal money directly from your account without any symptoms of the attack showing on your screen (or on the bank site's end).

SpywareRemove.com malware research team has uncovered additional details to the lengths to which Trojan.Prinimalka will go to steal money from its potential victims. Trojan.Prinimalka is designed to work around the normal security measures that are used by United States banks, including static authentication methods like device fingerprinting. Unlike European banks, which use dynamic security measures, most US banks use a simple static security system, which makes them prime targets for Trojan.Prinimalka's 'Project Blitzkrieg.'

Project Blitzkrieg is has yet to be launched, but supposedly will utilize a large number of botnets and multiple criminals – all of them working in cooperation under a rewards system wherein adequate 'work' at their criminal career will entitle workers to a percentage of the profits. SpywareRemove.com malware experts also note that, while the flamboyant behavior of Project Blitzkrieg's creator, vorVzakone, has led to some individuals speculating that the entire scheme is a fraud and a potential 'honeypot' that's intended to entrap criminals, vorVzakone has shown ties to prominent Russian hackers.

Ultimately, even if the project itself is a hoax, the spyware capabilities behind Trojan.Prinimalka Trojans are very real and quite capable of violating countless bank accounts throughout the US.

Keeping Your PC Out of the Path of Trojan.Prinimalka's Blitzkrieg

Trojan.Prinimalka should be an especial concern for any PC users based in the United States and/or use United States bank accounts. Some of the many banks that Trojan.Prinimalka has been claimed to target in the future include:

Ameritrade
Bank of America
CHASE
Citibank
E*Trade
Paypal
Schwab
Wells Fargo

It must be highlighted that the list mentioned above is a sample and not a conclusive list of potential banks that Trojan.Prinimalka could be used to attack.

Like many spyware programs, Trojan.Prinimalka injects itself into your PC's normal memory processes (excepting critical system processes) to hide itself. Removing Trojan.Prinimalka should be undertaken with suitable anti-malware utilities that are designed for deleting high-level PC threats like Trojan.Prinimalka. If your anti-malware software isn't able to remove Trojan.Prinimalka right away, SpywareRemove.com malware experts suggest attempting a boot in Safe Mode or loading your OS from a removable USB drive, which should shut Trojan.Prinimalka down before Trojan.Prinimalka can inject itself into other processes.

Technical Details

File System Modifications

Tutorials: If you wish to learn how to remove malware components manually, you can read the tutorials on how to find malware, kill unwanted processes, remove malicious DLLs and delete other harmful files. Always be sure to back up your PC before making any changes.

The following files were created in the system:

%UserProfile%\govXXXX.exe - the 'X's are random lowercase letters

File name: %UserProfile%\govXXXX.exe - the 'X's are random lowercase letters
Mime Type: unknown/exe - the 'X's are random lowercase letters
Group: Malware file

%UserProfile%\govold.exe

File name: %UserProfile%\govold.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file

%UserProfile%\govtemp1.exe

File name: %UserProfile%\govtemp1.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file

%UserProfile%\govcookies.txt

File name: %UserProfile%\govcookies.txt
Mime Type: unknown/txt
Group: Malware file

%CD%\govcookies.dat

File name: %CD%\govcookies.dat
Mime Type: unknown/dat
Group: Malware file

Registry Modifications

The following newly produced Registry Values are:

HKEY..\..\..\..{Subkeys}HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "govShell"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "govoptions"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "govid"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "govopt_reserv"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "govopt_server1"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "govopt_options"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "govopt_forms"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "govopt_file"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "govopt_command"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "govopt_pstorage"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "govopt_ss"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "govopt_idproject"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "govopt_certs"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "govbalance"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "govcontrol_crc"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "govopt_pauseopt"